The EPA inspector general found nothing wrong with the Biden administration’s process for awarding $1.5 billion to help lower-income communities cope with pollution. The decision came as local officials wage a legal fight against the Trump administration for its efforts to terminate their grants.
In its review of the Biden-era selection process for the Community Change Grant program, the agency’s inspector general office affirmed it was rigorous and and adhered to all EPA regulations.
The independent watchdog stated that EPA “implemented effective controls during its review and selection” of the grantees, which included municipal and local government agencies and community-based nonprofits throughout the country.
The initiative, authorized in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed to help disadvantaged communities address entrenched pollution problems or reduce their planet-warming emissions. Eighty grants ranging from $9 million to $21 million were approved in 2024. Projects included transit and pollution reduction efforts in Bakersfield, California, and housing efficiency and resilience hubs in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
