Van Hollen, Markey, Dingell Slam Decision on National Green Bank Funding

Today, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) slammed the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that ruled in favor of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The court held that the district court lacked jurisdiction to decide whether the EPA could seize congressionally approved federal funds from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and that the awardees' claims will have to be litigated in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. This ruling dissolved the district court's injunction ordering the EPA and Citibank to continue to fund the grants, opening the door for the EPA to proceed with its efforts to withdraw grant funding from the awardees' accounts. These programs, which are part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, leverage private capital to cut energy bills for families and small businesses, improve resiliency against climate change-fueled disasters, and create local economic opportunity while combating climate change.

"The EPA under the Biden administration managed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and awarded funds after a rigorous and transparent process. Taking the Trump EPA's baseless arguments at face value, today's D.C. Circuit decision allows the Administration to claw back this important funding and bestows yet another gift to fossil fuel special interests. We won't stop fighting to ensure that our Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund can continue to work for the American people by lowering energy bills and strengthening our energy independence, despite the Trump administration's attempt to unlawfully seize these important investments. This program is set to unleash American ingenuity, cut costs, and breathe clean air-we will not stand for Trump's attempts to break the law to keep that from happening for his own political purposes," said the lawmakers.

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion national climate financing network based on the National Climate Bank Act, authored by Senators Van Hollen and Markey and Congresswoman Dingell, provisions of which were included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, Senators Markey and Van Hollen and Congresswoman Dingell-the House lead on the climate financing legislation-welcomed the launch of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in April 2023.