April 21, 2025, 4:05 p.m. ET — The Trump administration plans to cancel millions of dollars in grants intended for scientists tackling crucial environmental health issues, particularly those affecting rural children, as reported from internal emails within the Environmental Protection Agency. This move comes amid ongoing efforts by President Trump to roll back various aspects of the EPA's operations.
These grants, originally allocated for diverse projects, focus on mitigating the health impacts of pesticide exposure from agricultural practices, reducing the hazards of wildfire smoke inhalation, and addressing pollution from stable chemicals known as "forever chemicals" that severely threaten the food supply.
An email from Dan Coogan, deputy assistant administrator at the EPA, dated April 15 and reviewed by The New York Times, outlines directives from agency leadership to terminate all pending and active grants from essential research programs such as Science to Achieve Results (STAR). These cuts target the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) initiative, which invests in smaller grants for college students pursuing environmental solutions, such as creating antiviral masks from recycled plastic and developing fully compostable packaging materials.
The email specifically mentioned that there is a mandate to cancel all pending awards and wind down grants across the selected programs, raising alarms about the potential repercussions for public health and the environment. These abrupt cancellations represent another chapter in the ongoing retraction of environmental safeguards under the current administration.
These grants, originally allocated for diverse projects, focus on mitigating the health impacts of pesticide exposure from agricultural practices, reducing the hazards of wildfire smoke inhalation, and addressing pollution from stable chemicals known as "forever chemicals" that severely threaten the food supply.
An email from Dan Coogan, deputy assistant administrator at the EPA, dated April 15 and reviewed by The New York Times, outlines directives from agency leadership to terminate all pending and active grants from essential research programs such as Science to Achieve Results (STAR). These cuts target the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) initiative, which invests in smaller grants for college students pursuing environmental solutions, such as creating antiviral masks from recycled plastic and developing fully compostable packaging materials.
The email specifically mentioned that there is a mandate to cancel all pending awards and wind down grants across the selected programs, raising alarms about the potential repercussions for public health and the environment. These abrupt cancellations represent another chapter in the ongoing retraction of environmental safeguards under the current administration.
