The Negative Impacts of Federal Funding Decreases for Environmental Projects in Downtown Pittsburgh

Written by Maggie Study

With the new presidential administration holding office for just over a month, cities and organizations around the country have felt the effects of new changes and policy implementations. On January 27th, the Trump administration issued an initial freeze in federal grants that totaled around 3 trillion dollars. The frozen funding impacts programs that aim to resolve climate and environmental justice initiatives.

For the Downtown Neighbors Alliance (DNA), this funding freeze is impacting upcoming projects. The DNA is developing plans to collaborate with buildings in downtown Pittsburgh to implement greenroofs and solar panels to establish a more environmentally conscious city-center. However, the freezes to federal funding have put holds on these projects, as there would be no feasible alternative for the non-profit organization to finance the costs of these projects without federal funding. 

The freezes to federal funding have significant impacts for state and local governments. Federal funds can account for up to 50 percent of state budgets, therefore, the freezes and cuts to federal funding place strain on state budgetary needs.  

Not only will the suspension and cuts to federal funding impact the climate, it could have lasting impacts on the natural landscape and public health. In particular to cities such as Pittsburgh, industry and daily resource usage impact the air quality and health of downtown. With a lack of further environmental improvement projects, such as delays to the DNA’s greenroof and solar panel undertakings, it could create environmental justice issues in Pittsburgh, with similar impacts occurring in other regions around the nation. 

A group that will be particularly impacted by the funding changes is low-income communities. Grant analysts explain that investors tend to avoid establishing projects in low-income areas, which makes it difficult for these communities to create positive environmental change without federal funding. Yet, low-income communities tend to reap the most benefits from environmental projects. Without the federal funding, major health and quality of life disparities may begin to develop or worsen in low-income communities that require environmental justice projects to thrive. 

Before the freezing of funds, many organizations and communities encountered difficulties in attaining federal funding. Challenges include a lack of transparency and oversight for funding from the government, proper funding management techniques, and the burdens of existing financial crises. The decrease in federal funding adds an additional challenge to funding and managing projects and programs for organizations and communities. 

Overall, decreasing federal funding for a multitude of projects and programs across the nation has the potential to negatively impact long-term economic development and healthy communities. The defunding for environmental initiatives harms organizations striving towards establishing eco-friendly projects for their city or community residents, such as the DNA’s attempt to collaborate with the city to generate greenroofs.