Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Rob Klee says the state will continue to receive EPA grant money for its two largest projects. The announcement comes after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the EPA to freeze its grant spending last week.
The EPA gives Connecticut $16 million for wastewater treatment projects, and $10 million to enforce federal laws like the Clean Water Act. Those two chunks of money cover most of the state’s $31 million federal grant allowance.
“These are fundamental investments in a clean and healthy environment, in protection of public health, so these are essential. It’s of concern that they were frozen at all. From what I’ve heard from folks, this was a step beyond what normally happens in a transition. In a transition there are always changes, clearly. But we didn’t even know what was covered, or what wasn’t covered.”
The EPA says all of it grants nationally were restored by the end of the work day on Friday. Klee says DEEP will closely monitor the status of EPA grants under the Trump administration.
