Congressman Carter Convenes Environmental Justice Roundtable with Local and National Climate Advocates ahead of Major Court Hearing on behalf of Community Organizations with Unlawfully Terminated EPA Awards

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) convened an Environmental Justice Roundtable discussion at Greater New Orleans Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. Specifically, this conversation focused on recent, harmful Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decisions, including terminated federal awards and the rolling back of critical environmental regulations, and how we can move environmental priorities forward under the Trump Administration.

Congressman Carter was joined by representatives from Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) to discuss their pending litigation against the EPA on behalf of community organizations that have had nearly $3 billion in total environmental justice grant agreements unlawfully terminated. The next hearing on that case is Tuesday, August 5, at United States District Court in Washington, D.C. These terminations represent over $60 million in funding for thirteen awards in Louisiana, including eight awards totaling over $38 million for organizations in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District.

“During the four years of the Biden administration, America made real progress in addressing environmental justice by supporting frontline communities, expanding clean air and water protections, and funding local initiatives through vital EPA environmental justice grants,” said Rep. Carter. “I was proud to support these initiatives, including helping craft and pass vital legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest ever investment in American history.

“But now, the Trump administration is actively trying to reverse those gains. They've sought to end the EPA’s environmental justice grants program entirely, cutting off crucial funding for communities already overburdened by pollution and disinvestment. These actions are not just bad policy—it’s a direct attack on our health and our future. I was proud to convene this roundtable today, during a crucial moment in this conversation.”

On June 25, 2025, a coalition of nonprofits, Tribes and local governments sued the Trump Administration for unlawfully terminating the EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant (ECJBG) programs despite a congressional directive to fund them through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The case is titled Appalachian Voices v. EPA.

 

The plaintiffs come from every region of the country and will be seeking class action certification and preliminary relief so that all 350 grant recipients who have been harmed by the wholesale termination of the EPA program may continue their projects.

Southern Environmental Law Center, Earthjustice, Public Rights Project, and Lawyers for Good Government filed the challenge on behalf of grant recipients to seek the nationwide restoration of the program and to require the administration to reinstate awarded grant agreements.

Some of the Louisiana organizations impacted by this litigation include Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) and Dillard University. DSCEJ received a grant for the Community Investment Recovery Center, which provided direct services to community-based organizations and tribal communities through capacity building, technical assistance, and training. Dillard University received a grant to create community resilience hubs, expand bike sharing and EV charger access, retrofit buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, launch non-degree training programs in clean energy and climate resilience, and enhance community resilience in Orleans, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes.

"Today's roundtable with Congressman Troy A. Carter and impacted grantees was a powerful reminder of how the termination of life-saving projects continues to cause real harm to frontline communities,” said Jillian Blanchard, Vice President of Climate Change & Environmental Justice at Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG). “The promise of clean air and clean water for all is a fundamental right that we cannot negotiate on. These grantees had guaranteed funding under a congressionally mandated program that has been unilaterally terminated by an Administration that has said that clean air, clean water, and hurricane protection are not a priority, and Lawyers for Good Government will continue to fight for the restoration of funding and the justice and resources that these communities deserve."

Other attendees included:

• Community Foundation Climate Collaborative
• The Nature Conservancy
• Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
• Rise St. James
• Dillard University
• City of New Orleans
• Groundwork New Orleans
• SOUL
• Water Wise Gulf South
• Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association
• Greater Treme Consortium
• GreenARMY

View photos from the event here.

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