BIL/IRA Implementation Digest — February 17, 2025

by Joe Cullen

Feb 17, 2025 | BIL/IRA Implementation Digest

Green Bank Working Group Meeting – Program Note

  • Friday, February 21, 2025 @ 11:00AM – Google Meet Link – Presentation by Vernice Miller-Travis on Green Bank & federal funding for clean energy. Brief discussion of the status of court cases and federal funding issues to follow.

 

Federal Funding: Threats to Green Bank Funding

High-ranking D.C. federal prosecutor resigns in protest – by Spencer S. Hsu, Carol D. Leonning, and Nicolás Rivero, February 18, 2025 – Washington Post – The head of the criminal division in the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. resigned Tuesday morning after declining to comply with a Trump administration demand to freeze the assets of a multibillion-dollar Biden environmental grant initiative…The Justice Department has the authority to freeze assets, but it can take that step only when it has evidence suggesting the assets can be traced to a crime. Cheung indicated in her letter that it was inappropriate and unethical to open an investigation without such evidence.

Senior prosecutor in Washington quits, citing pressure to probe Biden-era climate funds by Kyle Cheney, Josh Gerstein & Jean Chemnick – Feb. 18, 2025 – Politico – A top federal prosecutor in Washington resigned Tuesday after refusing an order from Justice Department leaders to direct a bank to freeze accounts holding $20 billion in climate change money allocated by former President Joe Biden’s climate spending law.

Trump EPA chief accuses Biden of ‘tossing gold bars off the Titanic’ by Maxine Joselow – February 12, 2025 – Washington Post – The EPA will try to claw back $20 billion that the Biden administration approved for climate projects, EPA’s Lee Zeldin announced without evidence that the money was awarded in “a rush job with reduced oversight.” The move, which is likely to draw legal challenges, escalates  Donald Trump’s efforts to freeze climate funding across the federal government despite a federal judge’s ruling that the administration has been violating a court order.

 

Federal Funding: Impacts on PA Programs (RISE PA & Energy Efficiency)

Attack on environment & climate policy is having immediate impacts by Reid Frazier – February 17, 2025 – Allegheny Front – Interview – Pres. Trump’s executive orders have put climate policies enacted under the Biden administration in limbo. A growing number of these orders – from personnel moves to spending freezes – have been blocked by federal courts. Many have asked whether a president has the authority under the Constitution to make these kinds of moves. Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier spoke with Abby Andre, a former lawyer in the environmental enforcement section at the Department of Justice.

Shapiro administration taking ‘aggressive wait and see’ approach to federal funding freeze by: Peter Hall – Feb.18, 2025 – Pennsylvania Capital-Star – Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office has sued five federal agencies, alleging that PA is unable to access $1.2 billion in federal grant funding appropriated by Congress & that another $900 million is being held up.

A government worker’s message for Elon Musk – by Robert Costa, CBS News – Sunday Morning Show – February 16, 2025 (includes many  links to impacts on federal programs).

Governor Shapiro Files Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Federal Funding Freeze to Protect Pennsylvania — Press Release – February 13, 2025 – U.S. District Court Complaint 

Social Media Toolkit – By ClearPointPA: Contains links to partner statements, graphics, and draft posts.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Madison Jorfi – Contact: 717-673-3135; mjorfi@clearpointpa.com

 

Statement on Governor Shapiro’s lawsuit to stop Trump Administration from shutting off up to $2.1 billion committed to Pennsylvania 

Federal funding for clean energy jobs and workers, along with environmental and health protections, including millions to plug dangerous oil and gas wells leaking methane and to help cut home energy costs for families, has been shut off or frozen

 

Statewide, PA – Pennsylvania has been unable to access $1.2 billion in Congressionally appropriated federal funding, with an additional $900 million requiring an undefined review by federal agencies.  Katie Blume of Conservation Voters of PA and chair of The Clean Power PA coalition issued the following statement on behalf of the coalition in support of Governor Shapiro’s lawsuit to free up these federal dollars legally committed to Pennsylvania but shut off by the Trump Administration:

“The Trump Administration’s unlawful slashing of federal funding to Pennsylvania is creating chaos and hurting workers, businesses and families across the state.

“Federal investments to help families lower their utility bills through energy efficiency improvements, begin plugging the thousands of abandoned gas wells leaking dangerous chemicals into the air and water, make improvements to deliver safe and clean drinking water and close dangerous mine shafts & abandoned mine lands, have all been stopped.

“Likewise, access has been cut off to nearly $400 million committed to Pennsylvania for its Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE-PA) project to help industrial businesses modernize their processes to become more competitive, improve air quality, and create good-paying jobs. “These are only a few of the examples of how the Trump Administration’s reckless and extreme policies have caused extensive harm to Pennsylvania residents.

“Pennsylvania’s elected representatives in Congress must also join the fight by demanding that the Trump Administration not pull the plug on Pennsylvania jobs, protections for Pennsylvania workers, and energy savings for Pennsylvania families.” Thank you, Governor Shapiro, for fighting back to recover what rightfully belongs to Pennsylvanians.

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About the Clean Power PA Coalition: we are more than 40 clean energy, business, faith, conservation, and community groups committed to protecting PA’s environment and powering its economy through clean energy.

Statements on Governor Shapiro’s Challenge to Federal Funding Freeze

 

Atlas Public Policy – Archives & Critical Resources for Climate Policy

Atlas Public Policy’s Climate Program Portal has developed a Federal Archive Web Site to archive federal agency data and resources. Find more background in this February 6, 2025 Blog Post. Atlas focused on preserving federal agency resources, archiving fact sheets, program guidance, toolkits, and more. Atlas has preserved hundreds of webpages related to BIL/IRA programs. The Federal Archives page has three main components:

  1. BIL & IRA Program Webpages: Access hundreds of archived BIL and IRA program webpages, funding requests, and award announcements.
  2. Data, Reports, & Program Guidance: Access archived guidance documents, fact sheets, data, tools, and other resources in the Library. Use the keyword search or any of the filters.
  3. Project Links: Where possible, our Opportunities and Outcomes dashboards will include both the original project or program link and an “archive” link with the PDF version of the page. This covers pages from on or before January 8, 2025.

Tracking Clean Energy Jobs

  • Atlas also maintains data on clean energy manufacturing projects & investments, including nearly 350,000 manufacturing jobs on the Clean Economy Tracker.
  • Grist Map of BIL/IRA funding – list project awards that are at risk. This is a comprehensive mapping tool of clean energy projects.

Other Archive Files – Partner Web Sites: Many other organizations in the climate community also archived or reproduced federal resources. The following is a sampling of archived resources:

Many resources are still accessible through the Biden White House Archive, the archived version of Invest.gov, and the archived Council for Environmental Quality web site.

Additional Resources for Grantees

Lawyers for Good Government

  • Request for Legal Guidance Form – L4GG is dedicated to ensuring that grantees and sub-awardees of BIL/IRA federal programs are protected from threats to their funds. If you have a legal question about how to protect  funding, please fill out the form below and L4GG will provide support as resources allow.

Earthjustice – As part of our advocacy work, Earthjustice is looking to identify instances in which organizations had been expecting to receive IRA or IIJA funding which has been denied under the new administration. Have any coalition members had this experience? If so, and if you would like to share, please contact me directly. Devin McDougall @ dmcdougall@earthjustice.org – Earthjustice Philadelphia Office.

Reimagine Appalachia & Rural Organizing are collecting stories of impacts in this google form. If your organization is impacted, you can tell your stories about the impacts these cuts have on communities.

Has Your Nonprofit Been Affected by Federal Funding Cuts? We Want to Hear From You by David A. Fahrenthold – January 31, 2025 – New York Times – The Trump administration is slashing federal grants. The New York Times wants to talk to nonprofits that have lost funding — or fear they might.

 

Summary of Court Cases on the Federal Funding Freeze

Federal Judge Orders Immediate Release of Federal Funding Amidst Continued Freeze on the Disbursement of Federal Funds by: Kristina M. Moore, Rachel “Gracie” Kreth for of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP for the National Law Review – Thursday, February 13, 2025 – For the purposes of federal funding freezes, the Trump Administration has been ordered to release the grant funds until at least through Feb. 21, or be in violation of the Enforcement Order. It remains to be seen what the ultimate outcome will be.

 

Joe Cullen