By Anya Kaats
The Crestone Energy Fair (CEF) was poised to advance extensive research on the sustainability of alternative building techniques after securing a $75,000 grant from the Mountain and Plains Environmental Justice Grant Hub (MAP EJ). However, a sweeping federal funding freeze has stalled the project indefinitely, leaving CEF and other community-based organizations across Colorado in a state of uncertainty.
The funding freeze stems from actions taken by the Trump administration, which halted access to the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system—a platform used by federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to disburse grant funds. Despite court orders mandating the release of these funds, more than $570 million in congressionally authorized funding remains inaccessible to Colorado entities, according to state officials.
The MAP EJ Grants Hub, which operates under a legally binding contract with the EPA, has not received a termination notice or stop-work order. However, the inability to access obligated funds through the ASAP system has effectively frozen its operations. This situation mirrors challenges faced by other EPA grant recipients nationwide, some of whom have received termination notices, while others remain in limbo without access to their awarded funds.
The funding freeze has had tangible impacts on organizations like CEF, which had planned to use the grant to refine data collection methods and advocate for the preservation of sustainable housing solutions in Saguache County.
The situation has drawn criticism from environmental advocates and legal experts across the country, who argue that the administration’s actions violate legal obligations and undermine critical environmental justice initiatives. In addition to funds being withheld from the EPA, grant recipients in the Agricultural and Energy Departments are also unable to access their funding. “It looks like this executive is considering just completely flouting a court’s direct order,” said Jillian Blanchard, vice president for climate change and environmental justice with Lawyers for Good Government in an interview with Politico.
As CEF and other organizations await resolution, the future of community-led environmental projects hangs in the balance. The prolonged uncertainty threatens not only the progress of sustainable housing research in Crestone, but also nationwide initiatives, as research and programming across multiple government agencies have been stalled or derailed.