Yesterday, a federal judge issued a ruling blocking the Trump Administration from terminating the grants made to awarded entities through the National Climate Investment Fund (NCIF) and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) programs under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Tonya Chutkan determined the government’s “vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient” justification for terminating the grants made to the awarded entities – which includes the Native CDFI Network (NCN) – following an extensive and rigorous application and negotiation process.
The ruling prevents the EPA from ending the NCIF and CCIA – which total $20 billion – for the time being. It also blocks Citibank, which holds the money in awardee accounts on behalf of the EPA – from returning the money to the federal government or giving it to anyone else.
As a CCIA grantee with 63 CCIA Community Lenders across the country, NCN will be closely monitoring the legal process and will keep our members and partners apprised of any new developments.
To read more about the ruling, click here.