President Donald Trump’s administration restored roughly $2.1 billion for Pennsylvania’s environmental programs, the state’s governor said this week.
Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, announced that the Trump administration was backing off on funding freezes that impacted Pennsylvania environmental programs, including initiatives to reclaim abandoned mine land and to plug orphan wells.
The announcement comes after the state sued the federal government earlier this month in an attempt to recoup the funds. The lawsuit targeted EPA, the Interior Department and the Department of Energy, among others, and asked that programs funded by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law be allowed to proceed.
Shapiro said Monday that the funding restoration was the result of direct engagement with the White House and Department of Justice. Nevertheless, Pennsylvania plans to continue with the lawsuit.
