SPRINGFIELD — The Environmental Protection Agency officially terminated nearly $20 million in grant funding to Springfield that was set to go toward disadvantaged neighborhoods and covered about half of the city.
The grant focused on a slew of green programs, including home energy retrofits, air pollution monitoring and de-leading of homes.
The $19.9 million in funding, part of the EPA’s Community Change Grants Program, was announced in August. The funding has been in limbo since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.
Court documents filed last month as part of a federal lawsuit in Rhode Island said that the EPA planned to terminate nearly 800 grants, and Springfield’s funding was on that list, said Tina Quagliato Sullivan, the city’s deputy development officer for housing, community development and neighborhoods.
“As with any change in administration, the agency is reviewing each grant program to ensure it is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and to understand how those programs align with administration priorities,” an EPA spokesperson said.
Last week, the EPA sent a termination letter to the city, saying that the funding had been canceled.
“The objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities,” it said.
Even though it was expected, the news of the loss still stung at City Hall.
“We’re disappointed and devastated about the impact this will have, but we’re not surprised,” Sullivan said.
After Trump’s inauguration, he signed an executive order “Unleashing American Energy,” that instructed federal agencies to withhold funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, the source of the city’s EPA grant.
But then in late February, Springfield officials said it looked like they were able to draw down funds on the grant, so they were cautiously moving forward on its use. So far, only about $10,000 had been spent, Sullivan said.
Programs that will miss out
The grant funds would have gone toward a variety of projects that would have reduced emissions and improved air quality.
Money was planned to help low- and moderate-income homes abate lead and increase energy efficiency with new roofs, insulation and windows. The city’s childhood lead poisoning rate is double the state average, according to data from the Massachusetts Environmental Public Health.
The home remediations would have improved indoor air quality, which is a contributor to the city’s high asthma rate, which at times has led the nation in numbers of afflicted. Another program would have replaced gas appliances in homes.
Funds also would have installed better air conditioning at the Mason Square Library, plant more than 1,500 trees, update the city’s climate plan, make the West Street corridor safer and create a green workforce training program at Springfield Technical Community College.
It also would have installed more air quality monitoring sensors with the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts.
The grant was part of the Environment and Climate Justice Block Grant Program.
“Clearly there is an agenda here,” said Gerry McCafferty, the city’s housing director. “At the same time this administration is talking a lot about efficiency and eliminating fraud … this means that a lot of valuable community development work that went into the planning for this grant is lost.”
Planning the grant took into account resident feedback, Sullivan said.
“Obviously the termination of this grant has very negative and harmful impacts directly to residents, and also ignores the direct resident community that has indicated their desire for these types of interventions and solutions.”
The letter from the EPA does say that the termination decision can be formally appealed.
“The city does intend to file an administrative dispute to the termination of the grant,” Sullivan said, “and also exploring all of our legal options.”
