Yesterday, Governor Shapiro announced that his administration will file a lawsuit to unlock $1.2 billion in suspended federal funding owed to Pennsylvania agencies, arguing the Trump Administration has failed to comply with multiple court orders. 

These frozen funds for Pennsylvania include critical environmental and health initiatives, including:

• Funds that will allow the commonwealth to reclaim and restore 24,000 acres of abandoned mine land across Pennsylvania, 
• Funding to clean up toxic runoff from abandoned mines by constructing or maintaining 16 water treatment systems,
• Funding to plug numerous abandoned and orphaned wells, which would support clean air and pure water in Pennsylvania while creating jobs, 
• Funds to help plug more than 500 orphaned and abandoned wells that are releasing toxic chemicals into Pennsylvania communities, and lastly,
• Funding that would help up to 28,000 Pennsylvania households lower their utility bills. 

These projects are vital to restoring God’s creation and defending the life of all God’s children from harmful pollution. The withholding of funds has created community uncertainty, with the risk of layoffs and project cancellations. The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) urges that these programs, and others that support the health and economic wellbeing of Pennsylvania, receive immediate exemptions from the federal funding freeze.