Environmental Protection Agency staffers are demanding the agency release $50 million in climate funds to the Climate Justice Alliance. The funds were awarded under an Inflation Reduction Act program but have been withheld. The Climate Justice Alliance expressed support for Palestine amid the ongoing siege of Gaza.
This stance may have led to the delay in disbursing the funds. In an open letter, EPA and Department of Energy staffers urged the agency to release the money. They emphasized the importance of the funds for building community resilience against climate change threats, particularly in tribal, remote, and rural areas.
The letter states, “Taking away this funding would leave the people living in these communities vulnerable to potentially disastrous climate disturbances.”
The December 6 deadline to disburse the funds has already passed. This risks further delays as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in January. Progressive members of Congress, including Sen.
Ed Markey, Rep.
Staffers urge climate fund release
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rep.
Melanie Stansbury, have also urged President Biden to release the funds. Sen. Bernie Sanders contacted the EPA directly to pressure the agency. The Climate Justice Alliance supports 95 grassroots organizations across rural and urban areas.
Many of these organizations are led by Indigenous, minority, and low-income communities. An EPA staffer involved in the letter said, “Prioritizing environmental justice is not selective. The United States needs to advance it everywhere, including indigenous communities at home and abroad, which means demanding an end to the genocide in Palestine with an arms embargo to Israel and fulfilling its funding commitment to the Climate Justice Alliance here at home.”
The staffers published their letter anonymously on Medium under the collective name Federal Environmental and Energy Workers for Justice in Palestine.
They fear professional retaliation for speaking out on the issue. The delay in releasing the funds raises concerns about the future of progressive organizations under a potential Trump administration. A House bill could strip nonprofits of their tax-exempt status over alleged support for “terrorism.”
The focus remains on getting the $50 million released to the Climate Justice Alliance before it becomes unattainable.
The funds are critical for building community resilience against climate change threats in vulnerable areas.
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