Sen. Merkley Questions EPA Admin. Zeldin on Cancelled Oregon Grants

Cancelled EPA Grants in Oregon

• 💡 Chiloquin, Oregon, a town under a thousand people, had a grant for a municipal center and emergency shelter awarded and obligated, but it was later cancelled.
• 🎯 This grant was intended to provide city offices, an emergency shelter for wildfire smoke, and upgraded communication systems.
• ⚠️ The cancellation is seen as disruptive to community planning, as contracts for design and construction had already been made.

EPA's Stance on Grant Cancellations

• ❓ EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated he doesn't have details on every grant but offered to follow up on specific cases.
• ⚖️ He explained that grants can be cancelled if they are not consistent with the current administration's policy priorities, even if previously awarded and obligated.
• 🗣️ Zeldin encouraged senators to reach out to the EPA before hearings to provide details on specific grants they wish to discuss.

Community Health and Environmental Projects

• 🌳 A second grant for a community health project in Gresham, Oregon, aimed to increase tree planting and provide air conditioning to address heat emergencies and respiratory illnesses during smoke events, was also questioned.
• 🏥 A third grant was for a community health center in Grand Ronde to coordinate natural disaster response.
• 📚 A fourth grant was for an early learning center.

Restoring Cancelled Grants

• ✅ Zeldin indicated that it is the EPA's intent to spend appropriated funds and that grants that were cancelled may be restored, possibly under new terms that align with current priorities.
• 📈 He suggested that many grants will be re-issued, potentially without the specific aspect that led to the initial cancellation.

Community-Initiated Projects vs. Earmarks

• 💬 Senator Merkley prefers the term "community-initiated projects" over "earmarks" or "congressionally directed spending" to emphasize that these funds are driven by community needs, not arbitrary congressional decisions.
• 🤝 He stressed the importance of fighting for community priorities identified by the communities themselves, rather than relying on bureaucratic decisions made far away.