CHARLOTTE — CleanAIRE NC, a non-profit organization in North Carolina, has filed a lawsuit due to federal funding freezes affecting their air quality monitoring project in Mecklenburg County.
The organization won a $500,000 federal grant in 2023 to expand air quality monitoring in northern Mecklenburg County, targeting communities with historically high pollution levels. This grant was part of Biden-era environmental justice funding, which has faced clawbacks under the Trump administration’s policies against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
“With no communication or any kind of indication on in terms of the long term status of that funding, it’s really placed us in an impossible situation in terms of knowing how we should proceed,” said Andrew Whelan, CleanAIRE NC’s Communications Manager.
CleanAIRE NC planned to launch the three year program in 2025. The nonprofit has already paid some of the program costs upfront to initiate the air monitoring work and plans to start this summer. However, the organization remains uncertain if they will be able to access the federal dollars from the grant, putting the project’s continuation in jeopardy.
EPA Director Lee Zeldin has criticized the programs funded under the Biden administration, claiming they unfairly allocate federal dollars based on race and background.
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