Judge blocks Trump's EPA from terminating $14 billion in 'green bank' grants after accusations of fraud
U.S. District Judge Tonya Chutkan ruled that the federal government's 'vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient'
By Landon Mion Fox News
Published March 19, 2025 6:05am EDT
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from terminating $14 billion in grants awarded to three climate groups by the Biden administration.
U.S. District Judge Tonya Chutkan ruled that the federal government's "vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient." The order prevents the EPA from ending the grant program, which totaled $20 billion. The judge also blocked Citibank, which holds the money on behalf of EPA, from transferring it to the government or anyone else.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claimed the grant recipients engaged in mismanagement, fraud and self-dealing in announcing that he froze and moved to terminate the grants, but the judge said Zeldin's allegations were inadequate.
"At this juncture, EPA Defendants have not sufficiently explained why unilaterally terminating Plaintiffs’ grant awards was a rational precursor to reviewing" the green bank program, Chutkan wrote.
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