Trump cuts environment programme for low-income, minority communities

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump´s administration is set to eliminate environmental justice offices that address pollution in low-income and minority communities across the United States, such as Louisiana´s “Cancer Alley.”

The move, which will impact the agency´s 10 regional offices and headquarters, was first reported by the New York Times and confirmed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lee Zeldin on Tuesday.

“The problem is that in the name of environmental justice, a fortune has been sent to left wing activist groups,” Zeldin told reporters.

“President Trump wants us to help usher in a golden age in America that is for all Americans, regardless of race, gender, background,” he added. Former president Joe Biden made environmental justice a central pillar of his green agenda. His Justice40 initiative -- since rolled back by Trump -- aimed to direct 40 percent of federal investments in climate, clean energy, and affordable housing to historically marginalized communities.

The Inflation Reduction Act, Biden´s signature climate law, allocated $3 billion to the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, which was established under former Republican president George H.W. Bush in 1992.

Zeldin´s EPA on Monday announced it was cutting 400 grants totaling $1.7 billion related to environmental justice initiatives.

Last week, Trump´s Justice Department also announced it was dropping a lawsuit on behalf of the EPA against Denka Performance Elastomer concerning its neoprene manufacturing facility in LaPlace, Louisiana.