The City of Sacramento joined a nationwide class action lawsuit in late June challenging the federal government’s decision to terminate the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Grant program, a decision that has jeopardized vital community-based projects aimed at combating pollution, climate change and environmental inequity.
The lawsuit, filed by Earthjustice, Southern Environmental Law Center, Public Rights Project, and Lawyers for Good Government, seeks class certification on behalf of all 350 awardees whose grants were abruptly terminated. The coalition includes nonprofits, Tribes and local governments from every region of the United States.
The City of Sacramento had planned to use ECJ grant funds to support urban tree canopy expansion. The funding aligned with the City’s Urban Forest Plan, which calls for increasing citywide tree canopy from 19 percent to 35 percent by 2045. Without these additional resources, those grant tree planting efforts are now in jeopardy.
“The Environmental Protection Agency’s unilateral termination of the City of Sacramento’s grant is inexplicable,” said said City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood. “The City joined this litigation to ensure the Trump Administration honors its commitments because every day that goes by without access to the grant is one less day of tree growth and tree canopy – the impacts of which will be felt for generations to come.”
The ECJ grants were authorized by Congress through the Inflation Reduction Act under Section 138 of the Clean Air Act, providing $3 billion to help communities across the country combat environmental degradation and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Projects funded under the program ranged from replacing lead pipes to building pollution alert systems, and from job training in clean energy to community-driven resilience strategies.
Legal experts argue that the administration’s action violates Congress’s clear intent and undermines communities’ efforts to tackle pollution, public health disparities and climate threats.
The City of Sacramento remains committed to protecting its residents from environmental harm and will continue to advocate for policies and resources that uphold environmental justice, public health and climate resilience.
