Virginia lawmakers urge EPA to reinstate community grant funding for flood projects

Virginia lawmakers wrote to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin today encouraging the agency to reverse termination of two major Community Change Grants in Virginia.

Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the grants were intended to support projects that increase resilience to major weather events, reduce pollution and build community capacity.

The City of Hampton received $20 million in federal funding to address severe flood risk in the Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood. That funding would have advanced 51 projects ranging from stormwater infrastructure upgrades and rain garden construction to stream restoration efforts and improved public health protections for an area where over 22 percent of properties fall within FEMA-designated flood zones.

United Way of Southwest Virginia and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise also received nearly $20 million in federal funding to support flood resilient housing, the construction of a community center and flood shelter in Dickenson County, and energy efficiency upgrades at childcare centers in eight counties in Southwest Virginia. The investments would have delivered long-term savings, improved disaster readiness, and supported vulnerable Appalachian communities hit hard by extreme weather in recent years.

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner, Tim Kaine, and Rep. Bobby Scott sent a letter to Zeldin urging reversal of the agency’s decision to terminate the approximately $40 million in grants which would support dozens of community projects aimed at strengthening flood resilience, reducing pollution, and improving energy efficiency in Hampton and across Southwest Virginia.

“We are deeply concerned that the EPA no longer considers community resiliency, environmental conservation and economic development to be administration funding priorities,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers warned that the EPA’s decision will leave the Virginia communities less resilient, less prosperous and more vulnerable to extreme weather-related disasters.

Warner, Kaine and Scott have long advocated for resiliency efforts in Virginia, and championed legislation and funding to help communities strengthen infrastructure against extreme weather. The senators were strong supporters of the Inflation Reduction Act, which authorized the Community Change Grants program to help historically neglected and underserved communities address flooding, pollution and climate vulnerabilities.

The lawmakers have also continuously stood up against the Trump Administration’s efforts to cancel necessary federal funding for Virginia’s communities. Most recently, Warner, Kaine and Scott wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reverse the cancellation of critical infrastructure funding for the Commonwealth.