Mike Johnson urged EPA grant for city in his district — using funds from Democratic law
10 January
Many far-right MAGA Republicans have been highly critical of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its environmental policies.
However, the EPA was launched in 1970 following an executive order from conservative Republican President Richard Nixon. And Republicans sometimes make requests from the EPA, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).
According to Kelsey Brugger — a reporter for Politico's E&E News — Johnson sent the EPA a letter on November 15, 2024. And he encouraged the agency to award a grant to a city in his congressional district.
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The grant Johnson requests, Brugger reports in an article published on January 10, would be "focused on the environment and disadvantaged communities" and include "funding from the Democrats' climate law that Republicans have vowed to gut."
The EPA had received an application for the grant from the City of Minden and Louisiana Tech University. And Johnson, in his letter, wrote, "I understand the funds will be used to support their 'Empowering Communities with Innovative Solutions to Reduce Pollution, Build Climate Resilience and Improve Public Health Project.'"
Johnson went on to note, "The three-year initiative will test cutting-edge water treatment processes to monitor and reduce pollutants in drinking water and wastewater that will benefit the people of this community."
Brugger points out that Johnson's letter to the EPA "comes as the GOP and President-elect Donald Trump vow to repeal the climate law known as the Inflation Reduction Act."
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"It also comes as Johnson will have to contend with warring factions in his conference who are at odds over exactly how much of the IRA subsidies and grants to strike through the budget reconciliation process to pay for extending the 2017 tax cuts, which expire at the end of the year," Brugger observes. "The IRA, worth hundreds of billions of dollars for clean energy incentives, contains $2 billion in environmental justice grants designed to curb pollution in neighborhoods throughout the country."
Brugger adds, "So far, $1.6 billion in grants have been awarded — but not necessarily obligated — to 105 organizations."
Read the full E&E News article at this link.