First-of-a-kind US class-action lawsuit would force EPA to reinstate $3bn climate program

Coalition of non-profits, tribes and local governments sued EPA chief for halting climate justice grants

The Trump administration's decision to abruptly terminate a $3bn program helping hundreds of communities prepare for climate disasters and environmental hazards is unconstitutional and should be overturned, a court will hear on Tuesday.

A coalition of non-profits, tribes and local governments is suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the agency's administrator, Lee Zeldin, for terminating the entire Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) block grant program - despite a legally binding mandate from Congress to fund the Biden-era initiative.