Trump Administration Unfreezes Pennsylvania Climate Funding Amidst Lawsuits

$2.1 billion in frozen federal funds have been made accessible to Pennsylvania again following a lawsuit filed by Democrat governor Josh Shapiro, reports John Hurdle for Inside Climate News. The lawsuit itself is still ongoing despite the return of the funds, which ICN reports stemmed from a “direct engagement” between the governor and administration officials last week.

“The frozen funds included money for remediating Pennsylvania’s many abandoned mines, for helping the state reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and for reducing energy costs for homeowners. The freeze also prompted separate legal action by 22 other states and the District of Columbia, leading a federal judge in Rhode Island to order the administration to lift its spending ban,” writes Hurdle.