📋 Tender Overview
Washington (May 7, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Representative Summer Lee (Pa-12), And Lawyers For Good Government On Monday Hosted A Virtual Roundtable Discussion On The Trump AdministrationS Damaging Cuts To Environmental Justice Funding And Staff. Roundtable Speakers Included Environmental Justice Advocates, Massachusetts Recipients Of Environmental Justice Grants, As Well As Strategists And Legal Advocates, Who All Shared How The Trump AdministrationS Attacks Have Directly Affected Frontline And Fenceline Communities Crushed By Generations Of Underinvestment And Disproportionate Exposure To Pollution. This Roundtable Comes On The Heels Of The Environmental Protection Agency (Epa) Will Cancel Nearly 800 Grants, Including All Of The AgencyS Environmental Justice Grants Administered Under The Office Of Environmental Justice And External Civil Rights, To Skirt A Recent Preliminary Injunction That Ordered The Agency To Unfreeze Environmental Justice Funds. The Trump Administration Revoking Federal Dollars From Community-Based Groups Working Hard To Clean Up The Air, Water, And Land Where They Live, Work, And Play Is Yet Another Injustice In A Long Line Of Unjust Policies That Deemed Certain Neighborhoods Undeserving Of Equal Environmental Protection, Said Senator Markey . I Am Inspired By The Environmental Justice Grant Recipients Who, Rather Than Despair And Give In To Defeat, Joined Us And Courageously Shared Their Stories Of The Harm, Chaos, And Uncertainty That The Trump Administration Has Inflicted By Undercutting Environmental Justice At Every Turn And Every Level. Their Testimony Shone A Spotlight On TrumpS Shameful Abandonment Of Overburdened Communities, And Reminds Us That Strengthening Our Solidarity, Growing Coalitions, Sharing Our Stories, And Charting Paths Forward Together Are Powerful Antidotes. What WeRe Witnessing With The Trump AdministrationS Reckless And Targeted Cuts To Environmental Justice Funding Is Nothing Short Of Cruel And Deliberate. These ArenT Just Numbers On A Spreadsheet -- These Are Real People, Real Families, And Real Communities Being Told They DonT Matter. In Places Like Western Pennsylvania, WeVe Already Seen The Human Cost: Frontline Organizations Shut Down, Clean Air Initiatives Stalled, Job Training Frozen, And Our Most Vulnerable Neighbors Left Without The Tools They Need To Protect Their Health And Their Futures. These Cuts Are An Attack On Our Kids, Our Workers, Our Elders, And On Basic Human Dignity, And We Will Continue Working To Stop Them, Said Representative Summer Lee . Thank You To Senator Markey, Representative Lee, And The Many Environmental Advocates And Grantees For Their Leadership And Courage In Fighting Back Against These Unlawful Attacks On Climate And Environmental Justice Funding, Said Jillian Blanchard, Vice President Of The Climate Change And Environmental Justice Program At Lawyers For Good Government (L4Gg) . At L4Gg, WeRe Proud To Be Helping Grantees Assert Their Legal Rights, Navigate This Confusing Landscape, And Push Back Against These Attacks Through Our Fund Protection Clinic. We Know The Law Is On Our Side, And We Have Already Won Significant Victories In The Courts To Block These Unjust Terminations. We Will Continue To Fight For Impacted Communities Until These Critical Funds Are Fully Restored And Every Grantee Is Able To Do The Work Congress Intended--Building A Cleaner, Healthier, And More Equitable Future, For All. I Deeply Appreciate Senator Ed Markey And Team Continuing To Fight For These Federal Dollars That We Earned As City. My Administration Has Worked Very Hard To Knock Down The Asthma Rates Here In Springfield, But There Is Much More Work To Be Done To Keep All Our Residents Safe, Whether Young Or Old, To Properly Deal With An Asthma Affliction. This Funding Would Help Prevent Future Generations From Getting It Too. I Am So Proud Of My City Team, Along With Our Partners, For Their Work To Apply For And Receive This Significant Epa Grant Award. This Multifaceted Funding Was To Bring Tangible Health Benefits To Our Community, Including Improved Indoor And Outdoor Air Quality And Reduced Emissions. We Will Continue To Fight For These Vitally Important Air Quality And Asthma Reduction Programs. We Will Also Work Closely With Ma Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell As She Leads The Charge To Challenge This Funding Termination Through Legal Channels, Said Springfield, Massachusetts Mayor Domenic J. Sarno , At The Time Of This Unconstitutional And Unlawful Termination, The Environmental Justice For New England Program Was Poised To Invest In Sustainable, Community-Driven Environmental Justice Projects, Countering Historical Disinvestment In Rural, Urban And Tribal Communities Across The Region. We Received Almost 400 Applications For Our First Round Of Funding, Proposing Activities That Address Critical Environmental Harms And Which Would Create Jobs, Boost Energy Independence, And Reduce Pollution Exposure. We Are Outraged, Said Ben Wood, Senior Director Of Policy And Practice At Health Resources In Action . As Boston Summers Continue To Break Historic Heat Records, Extreme Heat Has Become, And Will Continue To Be, A Significant Threat To The Health, Safety, And Livelihoods Of People Across Our Region. Through Our Heat And Health Project The Mystic River Watershed Association (Myrwa) Was Proud To Be Working With Residents, Community Partners, And Local Government To Develop Shared Solutions To The Rising Dangers Of Extreme Heat In Our Communities. ItS Not Dramatic To Say That Losing This Funding Source Will Negatively Impact The Health And Well-Being Of Our Local Residents-This Summer And For Many Summers After. Despite This Loss Of Funding-Myrwa Is Committed To Delivering Community-Driven, Science-Based Solutions To Ensure That Everyone And Everything Who Calls Our Watershed Home Can Enjoy Clean Water, Air, And Land, Said Mariangeli Echevarria-Ramos, Climate And Social Resilience Manager At The
