Last year the Environmental Health Coalition received a $20 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to improve air quality, build green spaces, and add electric transit to some of San Diego’s most polluted neighborhoods.
Organizers were excited to get the award, which supplemented state funds for projects in Barrio Logan, National City, and other communities exposed to pollution from truck traffic and industrial pollution.
Everything went as expected on the start date Jan. 6, but by Jan. 28 the payment system for the grant was frozen after President Donald Trump cancelled climate action funding.
“We are incurring costs, but we are unable to tap into the funds that are contractually obligated to us,” Amy Castañeda, policy co-director for the coalition, told me.
“We continue to spend money with no hope that the funds will be reinstated.”
As San Diego organizations grapple with Trump’s plans to claw back federal climate funding and attack state greenhouse gas reduction laws, local climate goals hang in the balance.
With San Diego cities already falling behind on their targets, the uncertainty might provide cover for those shortfalls.
On Jan. 20, Trump signed an order cancelling federal funding for climate programs and compelling production of oil, gas, coal, nuclear, and other energy sources.
In a follow-up order, he took aim at state climate programs, including California’s cap and trade, the state’s market for reducing greenhouse gases.
Legal experts say the attempt to eliminate state climate laws is likely overreach that won’t succeed.
California’s cap-and-trade program creates a market that limits overall greenhouse emissions but allows companies to buy and sell carbon credits.
The state utilizes that money to fund renewable energy, alternative fuel transportation, and other initiatives.
According to the California Air Resources Board, carbon credit auctions have contributed $28.3 billion to the state Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund since the program started in 2012.
Nicole Capretz, CEO of Climate Action Campaign, noted that this is Trump’s second attempt to dismantle California’s cap and trade.
“He already tried to dismantle California’s cap and trade and was unsuccessful,” she told me.
“California is feeling pretty secure in their cap-and-trade law. It is a massive revenue generator for the state and funds a whole suite of programs.”
However, reversing the funding approved during the Biden administration poses a more complex challenge.
Trump’s day one order calls for “terminating the Green New Deal” by ceasing grants for electric vehicle charging stations and other infrastructure authorized in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Environmental Health Coalition has faced an uphill battle, struggling to access funds, plan projects, manage staffing, and even communicate with the EPA.
For a few weeks in February and early March, funding was restored, according to Castañeda; the money, however, was frozen again shortly thereafter.
The EPA project manager for the grant has cancelled every monthly check-in, leaving the coalition without clarity.
“We’re doing the work but have zero communication, and we’re in limbo now,” Castañeda told me.
In response to the grant funding issues, the coalition has contacted local lawmakers, urging state officials to use Proposition 4 funds— the $10 billion state climate bond measure that passed in November—as a stopgap.
If grant funding isn’t reinstated, Castañeda said the coalition will need to consider staff cuts.
“We’re considering layoffs, we’re considering furloughs and staff time reductions, because we cannot sustain that big a hit,” she expressed.
Local governments and advocacy groups are disputing Trump’s authority to cancel spending that Congress authorized, arguing that only Congress—not the president—holds the power of the purse.
Legal challenges are underway, but in the meantime, Trump is slashing staff and funding across federal agencies.
“This is more of a bullying tactic than anything else, meant to silence, intimidate, and chill any new actions on climate,” Capretz said.
What does this federal funding freeze mean for public climate action programs in San Diego?
Local efforts include the city’s Climate Action Plan, the county’s Regional Decarbonization Framework, which outlines choices for transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and many municipal climate action plans.
I reached out to San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who has been at the forefront of the county’s climate initiatives.
Her office stated she was unable to comment, remarking that developments are happening too rapidly, and they are waiting to assess the situation.
Environmental leaders fear that these cuts could significantly disrupt local endeavors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are already behind schedule.
The Climate Action Coalition’s annual report card evaluates the climate progress of San Diego’s nine largest cities, and last year yielded mixed results.
The report recommended that cities set annual benchmarks for greenhouse gas reductions and emphasized that California needs to triple its rate of emissions cuts to effectively combat climate change.
According to Capretz, San Diego has excelled in promoting renewable energy through community choice programs that offer a greener portfolio of energy sources compared to traditional utility companies.
However, the city is lagging in efforts to electrify buildings, transition to electric vehicles, and reduce the distance people drive.
Is the federal onslaught from Trump providing an excuse for cities to let their climate plans slip?
Capretz believes it could be a possibility.
“It could be an excuse not to take action because of the threat by the federal government, or it could dampen political will,” she acknowledged.
Despite this, she believes California’s size and economic prowess afford it some options.
“California is going to have to invest more in climate solutions and backfill what the federal government will say it won’t fund,” she mentioned.
She suggested a need for more ballot measures and redirecting funding so that progress remains on track.
“If you’re the fifth largest economy in the world, you can act independently.”
In education, significant cuts loom for San Diego as the federal administration eliminates the Department of Education, according to reports.
Jackob McWhinney and Will Huntsberry, investigative reporters, attended an event with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who claimed that the dissolution of the federal education department impacts bureaucracy but not school funding.
Last week, McWhinney reported that UCSD stands to lose hundreds of millions due to proposed cuts in higher education spending, affecting research grants for critical health studies.
Chancellor Pradeep Khosla warned that all told, UC San Diego could face a half-billion-dollar deficit as a result of these federal funding cuts.
For more information on education, check out CalMatters’ story detailing California’s lawsuit aimed at reclaiming hundreds of millions of dollars related to pandemic education funds cancelled by the Trump administration.
image source from：https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/04/11/sacramento-report-how-san-diego-is-coping-with-trumps-slash-and-burn-strategy-for-climate-funding/
