• A federal judge ruled that the EPA must release $20 billion in taxpayer funds frozen by Administrator Lee Zeldin, overturning the Trump administration’s halt on Biden-era green energy grants.
• The funds were initially fast-tracked by Biden’s EPA, with audits highlighting reduced oversight and concerns that allocations, including $7 billion to the Climate United Fund, lacked transparency and appeared politically motivated before a potential GOP transition.
• The judge criticized the abrupt freeze, stating the EPA failed to provide evidence of malfeasance or follow proper legal procedures before terminating the program under the Inflation Reduction Act.
• The court ordered the release of funds to eight Biden-selected groups, including Coalition for Green Capital and Power Forward Communities, despite GOP concerns over accountability.
• The Trump administration pledged to appeal the ruling, arguing the funds were improperly allocated and vowing to reclaim them for taxpayers, setting the stage for a legal showdown in higher courts.

A federal judge has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release $20 billion in taxpayer funds that were frozen by Administrator Lee Zeldin, overturning the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate green energy grants issued under former President Joe Biden.

In March, Zeldin revoked the distribution of federal grants after a Project Veritas video surfaced featuring Biden-era EPA advisor Brent Efron, who described the hurried distribution of climate funds before Trump’s inauguration as akin to “throwing gold bars off the Titanic.” Efron also called the effort an “insurance policy against Trump winning.” (Related: EPA is dumping $4.3 billion in taxpayer-funded grants into climate change projects before Biden leaves office.)

“The days of irresponsibly shoveling boatloads of cash to far-left activist groups in the name of environmental justice and climate equity are over,” Zeldin previously said. “I’ve directed my team to find your gold bars, and they found them. Now we will get them back inside of the control of the government as we pursue the next steps.”

The funds, part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, were initially allocated for climate initiatives. These green initiatives funded by the program include solar installations for churches and refrigeration upgrades for small grocers mostly in Republican-led states like Missouri, Utah and Georgia.

However, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled on April 15 that Zeldin unlawfully halted the distribution of grants under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and directed Citibank to release the money on April 18 to eight nonprofit groups selected by the Biden administration.

“You haven’t done that. You’re putting the cart before the horse,” Chutkan told DOJ attorneys during the hearing. “If EPA had concerns about oversight and the funding, the way to do it is either get a court order – which you didn’t do, or go through the procedures for termination.”

Trump administration vows to appeal

The judge ordered the release of funds to Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United Fund ($7 billion award), Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv and Justice Climate Fund.

Chutkan claimed that the abrupt termination of a $20 billion program under the Inflation Reduction Act violated procedural rules, as the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to provide evidence of malfeasance and shifted its justification for the decision. She then stated that the EPA could pursue ending the program in the future, but it must adhere to proper legal procedures, including notifying affected parties in advance.

Critics of the EPA and the Trump administration have celebrated the decision of the court. However, the Trump administration has vowed to appeal.

“The DC District Court does not have jurisdiction to reinstate the $20 billion Biden-Harris ‘Gold Bar’ scheme,” a Trump spokesperson said. “These grants are terminated, and the funds belong to the U.S. taxpayer. We couldn’t be more confident in the merits of our appeal and will take every possible step to protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”

The appeal is expected to escalate to higher courts in the following days.

Head over to GreenTyranny.com for similar stories.

Watch this video about how Biden’s green agenda will run the U.S. into the ground.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

YourNews.com

APNews.com

Brighteon.com