At the very moment when bold, urgent action and strategic investment are needed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its pledge to provide essential funding for southwestern Pennsylvania (and the rest of the country) by terminating contracts under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). These grants were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen our infrastructure, support economic development and enhance community resiliency.
This decision is not just shortsighted, but it deprives hard-working Americans of a fair shot at a better future. It leaves municipalities, businesses and communities already suffering from decades of disinvestment to fend for themselves yet again.
The timing of this decision is particularly concerning. For too long, local governments and school districts have struggled with outdated facilities that are inefficient and costly to operate. Many of our public buildings rely on decades-old heating and cooling systems that waste energy and strain local budgets.
The GGRF was what many believed was the only “safe” remaining federal funding, given that the awardees were fully under contract with EPA and the funds were in private bank accounts. These funds were the primary funding source to upgrade these facilities with energy-efficient windows, solar panels, modern HVAC systems and other clean-energy solutions. These improvements would have reduced operational costs and created healthier learning environments for students, teachers and public servants.
I have seen firsthand how targeted investments in infrastructure, clean energy and disaster preparedness can transform communities. Our organization works with municipalities, nonprofits and school districts to identify and secure funding for projects that improve public buildings, enhance emergency preparedness and create economic opportunities. These funds would have helped create good jobs, support small businesses, strengthen local economies, reduce carbon emissions and support clean-energy alternatives. They would also have unlocked and leveraged private capital from larger banking institutions, commitments that have also now evaporated.
These funding requests represent real people and real communities. The EPA’s decision jeopardizes the well-being of our neighbors. Appalachian Community Capital, one of five recipients of the EPA’s Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, established the Green Bank for Rural America to ensure that Appalachia and rural communities have the same economic opportunities as the rest of the nation. With the support of local, regional and national partners, the Green Bank was projected to deliver more than $400 million in capitalization and technical assistance grants to community lenders, financing 2,000 projects and leveraging an estimated $1.6 billion in investments.
These projects would have supported 13,000 good jobs through workforce development partnerships, empowered local voices to shape the future of energy investment in their regions and provided the economic stability Appalachian and rural communities desperately need. They would have enabled municipalities to improve public buildings — schools, emergency services and municipal facilities — at funding rates that are more competitive than municipal bonds.
They would have supported solar investments that save taxpayer dollars and reduce annual operating budgets. They would improve emergency preparedness for natural disasters like tornadoes, floods and landslides.
The argument against climate funding often hinges on cost, but the cost of inaction is far greater. Climate change has already cost us billions in disaster recovery, health care expenses and lost productivity. Every dollar we spend on climate action today saves us from spending exponentially more tomorrow.
This moment demands moral courage. The EPA must stop politicizing people’s lives, reverse its decision and recommit to helping build the healthy, resilient and prosperous future we all deserve. Additionally, as the legislative body responsible for approving the federal budget, Congress should step up and ensure critical infrastructure and clean energy investments remain a priority. The stakes are too high for us to delay, and the people of southwestern Pennsylvania and countless other communities cannot afford to lose this opportunity.
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Megan Zeigler is chief executive officer of the SWPA Municipal Project Hub.