KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo County is joining a class-action lawsuit against the White House after being notified the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has terminated its Community Change Grant.
County commissioners voted at Tuesday night’s meeting to get involved.
The county applied for the grant last December and was approved for it in January. Its funds were frozen shortly thereafter as the Trump administration issued executive orders freezing federal funds.
Kalamazoo County’s Climate Sustainability Coordinator Taylor VanWinkle said the EPA told them the grant was no longer aligned with EPA priorities.
“We were confused by that reasoning, but that’s what they gave us,” VanWinkle told News Channel 3.
The grant provided the county with nearly $19 million that it planned to dedicate towards contractors and suppliers.
$2.1 million was set aside for the training of highly-skilled labor jobs.
As the county wants to continue to increase climate resiliency in Kalamazoo, especially after another severe storm, the cuts come at an inopportune time.
“There’s lots of benefits that are really, really relevant right now, especially when you see increased tornadoes, increased storm damage, increased severity of winds and how that impacts our existing infrastructure,” VanWinkle said.
In a statement, Kalamazoo County issued concern with the grant’s termination.
The statement, in part, is as follows:
The grant was entirely consistent with the EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. Kalamazoo County has operated in good faith, meeting all expectations and preparing to deliver the promised benefits of this program. This decision is a violation of our contractual agreement and undermines the investments made in our workforce and community.
VanWinkle hopes for a positive outcome from the suit so the county can continue to study the ever-changing climate and continue economic growth for Kalamazoo.
“We would like to have access to funding,” she said. “We’d like to have our grant reinstated, and then we can deliver the funding unimpeded.”
