{"id":2641043,"date":"2026-08-05T14:49:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignepa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:50:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:50:49","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignepa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignepa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA &#8216;Considering&#8217; SCOTUS Appeal In &#8216;Climate&#8217; Grants Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignepa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2641043&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently considering whether to request the Supreme Court to pause a lower court injunction that blocks its efforts to eliminate climate-related grants for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The injunction was reinstated by an en banc decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, wich upheld a lower court ruling preventing the EPA from terminating billions of dollars in grants tied to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established under President Biden\u2019s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA&#8217;s move to cut off $20 billion in awards led to legal battles, with courts disagreeing on the agency\u2019s authority following legislative changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). While some judges believe the EPA can still act within its contractual authority, others argue that recent legislative repeal limits its power to do so. The agency maintains that the grants were properly terminated and is evaluating its next legal steps, possibly seeking Supreme Court review.<\/p>\n<p>This legal dispute underscores ongoing tensions over regulatory authority and the implementation of climate-related funding, with important implications for environmental policy and legislative oversight.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:2026_National_Ag_Day_Event_on_March_24,_2026_(20260324-USDA-OSEC-CDP-3453).jpg\">Christophe Paul\/USDAgov\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/05\/epa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=EPA \u2018Considering\u2019 Possible SCOTUS Appeal In Battle To Ax Billions In \u2018Climate\u2019 Grants&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/05\/epa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=EPA \u2018Considering\u2019 Possible SCOTUS Appeal In Battle To Ax Billions In \u2018Climate\u2019 Grants&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/05\/epa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/05\/epa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=EPA \u2018Considering\u2019 Possible SCOTUS Appeal In Battle To Ax Billions In \u2018Climate\u2019 Grants&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/05\/epa-considering-possible-scotus-appeal-in-battle-to-ax-billions-in-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;EPA \u2018Considering\u2019 Possible SCOTUS Appeal In Battle To Ax Billions In \u2018Climate\u2019 Grants&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is \u201cconsidering\u201d whether to ask the Supreme Court to pause a lower court injunction blocking its bid to ax \u201cclimate\u201d grants for nongovernmental groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to The Federalist, an EPA representative said that the agency is \u201creviewing\u201d a Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cadc.41951\/gov.uscourts.cadc.41951.01208875417.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decision<\/a> by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/en_banc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">en banc<\/a> D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. That 6-4 ruling reinstated an April 2025 injunction by D.C. District Court Judge <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tanya-chutkan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tanya Chutkan<\/a> that barred the administration from <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/02\/d-c-circuit-revokes-abusive-injunction-barring-trump-from-slashing-epa-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">terminating<\/a> billions of dollars\u2019 worth of grants given to NGOs pushing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/environmental-groups-sue-biden-to-vacate-oil-and-gas-permits-as-gas-climbs-over-5-per-gallon\/\" title=\"Environmental Groups Sue Biden To Vacate Oil And Gas Permits As Gas Climbs Over  Per Gallon\">reduce \u201cgreenhouse gas emissions<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3396948093\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those grants originated in former President Joe Biden\u2019s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which set aside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/aboutepa\/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$27 billion<\/a> for a \u201cGreenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.\u201d EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin moved to cut off $20 billion in awards from that fund for said NGOs in March 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuesday\u2019s ruling overrides a prior decision by the appellate court\u2019s three-judge panel, which <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/02\/d-c-circuit-revokes-abusive-injunction-barring-trump-from-slashing-epa-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">granted<\/a> the government\u2019s request to pause Chutkan\u2019s injunction in September 2025. Writing for the 2-1 majority at the time, Judge Neomi Rao concluded that Chutkan \u201cabused [her] discretion in issuing the injunction\u201d in the first place, and that the merits and equities favored the administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked if the agency plans to appeal Tuesday\u2019s ruling to the Supreme Court, the EPA representative told The Federalist it is \u201cconsidering next steps.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In affirming part of Chutkan\u2019s injunction, the en banc D.C. Circuit said that the EPA \u201clikely contravened the IRA\u2019s mandatory appropriation\u201d provision when it attempted to terminate the NGOs\u2019 \u201cgrants and to claw back funds already disbursed into Plaintiffs\u2019 bank accounts based solely on a policy disagreement with [the IRA\u2019s] Section 60103.\u201d The majority additionally claimed that the agency \u201chas made no argument or showing that it would not still take those steps if the injunction were lifted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the dissent argued that the plaintiffs \u201chave not demonstrated that a preliminary injunction against effectuating the March 11, 2025, Notices of Termination remains warranted after\u201d the One Big Beautiful Bill Act\u2019s (OBBBA) \u201crepeal of Section 60103 of the IRA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnder those judges\u2019 understanding of the repeal, EPA Defendants likely could now take actions to terminate Plaintiffs\u2019 grants without violating Section 60103 of the IRA,\u201d the court\u2019s order reads. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court remained split on whether the EPA\u2019s \u201cauthority to suspend or terminate Plaintiffs\u2019 grants in the future is limited by both the contractual terms and Section 60103 of the IRA, or only by the contractual terms\u201d following the OBBBA\u2019s enactment into law. The court was similarly divided on whether \u201cany of the remaining grounds underlying the grant of preliminary injunctive relief can provide a basis to affirm the preliminary injunction as the case is presented to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An EPA official told The Federalist that the grants were \u201crightfully\u201d terminated in March 2025 and echoed the dissent\u2019s stance that the OBBB axed the contested IRA provisions. The official further noted that the administration has a \u201czero tolerance policy\u201d for \u201cwaste and abuse,\u201d such as that involving the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/climate-alarmism\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">climate alarmism<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/d-c-circuit-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">D.C. Circuit Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/environmental-protection-agency\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">environmental protection agency<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/grants\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">grants<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/injunctions\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">injunctions<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/judicial-coup\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">judicial coup<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ngos\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">NGOs<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EPA mulls Supreme Court appeal over climate grant injunction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2641044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lee-Zeldin.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[62440,36279,10732,6994],"class_list":["post-2641043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-climate-grants","tag-environmental-policy","tag-epa","tag-scotus"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lee-Zeldin.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2641043"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2641048,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641043\/revisions\/2641048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2641044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2641043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2641043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2641043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}