FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2025
CONTACT:
Aaron Bharucha, Public Relations Associate
(509) 429-1699 and epn-press@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
“Release the Funds: A National Conversation about Putting America’s Future Back in the Hands of Communities”
National Virtual Event Will Spotlight Impacts of Federal Funding Cuts on Frontline Communities Across the U.S.: Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from 3–5 PM ET/12–2 PM PT
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) will join a coalition of national and community-based organizations, including the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, the Hip Hop Caucus, Lawyers for Good Government, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Center for Environmental Equity and Justice in Health (CEEJH), to host spotlight the devastating impacts of recent federal funding freezes.
This virtual event will feature expert voices and community leaders from across the country whose work on clean air, clean water, and climate resilience has been stalled by unlawful funding cuts. Keynote speaker Catherine Coleman Flowers and moderators Dr. Matthew Tejada, Senior Vice President for Environmental Health, NRDC and Helen Chin, President & Co-Director, Communities First Fund, will guide this urgent discussion.
Despite historic commitments to invest in long-neglected communities, the federal government is now withdrawing critical support, prioritizing the interests of corporate polluters and private wealth over public health, equity, and environmental sustainability. These federal funds were designed to address long-standing disparities in access to clean air, clean water, and safe, affordable infrastructure. Their loss constitutes a direct breach of public trust. This convening will spotlight firsthand accounts from impacted communities and explore the policy and regulatory frameworks necessary to hold decision-makers accountable and restore essential investments.
Our communities know what they need. The role of government must be to empower, not to abandon, them. We urge all stakeholders, policymakers, practitioners, and the public, to join us in this critical dialogue and to advocate for the restoration of funds essential to building a just, healthy, and sustainable future.
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Founded in 2017, the Environmental Protection Network harnesses the expertise of more than 650 former EPA career staff and confirmation-level appointees from Democratic and Republican administrations to provide the unique perspective of former scientists and regulators with decades of historical and subject matter knowledge.