The Trump administration’s war on climate change has found its way into Palm Beach County.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded two previously approved grants totaling $4 million that would have expanded the tree canopy in the Glades and educated local officials about the impact of climate change. The reason (as stated in a document sent to the county): “The objectives (of the projects) are no longer aligned with the EPA’s funding priorities.”

President Trump has called climate change “a hoax” and his EPA has been rescinding climate-change grants throughout the country.

This year, the EPA attempted to take back funds that had already been spent on climate change projects, but a federal judge, in a case that set a precedent throughout the country, prevented that from happening. As a result, Palm Beach County expects to recover about $100,000 that has already been spent. But the EPA warned that any expenditures made after March 1 would not be reimbursed.

One of the two Palm Beach County projects would have resulted in the planting of more than 2,000 trees in the Glades. An urban tree orchard, similar to one in Delray Beach, would also have been built there. Funds had been set aside for tree giveaways to area residents.

A tree canopy comprises the upper layer crowns of trees, consisting of branches, leaves, and foliage. It shades the ground below, providing a continuous cover created by the branches and foliage of multiple trees.

Tree canopies play essential ecological roles, such as offering shade, sheltering wildlife, regulating temperatures, intercepting rainfall and contributing to air purification by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. In urban environments, the tree canopy enhances streetscapes aesthetically and improves the overall environmental quality by reducing heat, stormwater and biodiversity.

“This was devastating news,” said Josh Weiner, director of communications for Community Greening, a local urban forestry nonprofit that would have overseen the project. “The Glades is one of the county’s most underserved areas. These trees would have benefited people in the region by providing relief from the South Florida heat.”

Tree plantings would have occurred in six county parks, including:

• The Canal Point Recreation Area in Canal Point.
• Duncan Padgett Park in Pahokee.
• John Stretch Park in Lake Harbor.
• Glades Pioneer Park in Belle Glade.
• Triangle Park in Canal Point.
• Paul Rardin Park in Pahokee.

The plantings would have occurred over a three-year period ending Feb. 28, 2027.

Weiner said Community Greening had spent a considerable amount of time preparing to implement the program. Fifty trees were planted before the EPA’s “stop work order,” he noted, adding: “We are a very apolitical nonprofit. This project had strong support from both Republicans and Democrats. We all need cooler places to live.”

In applying for the $1 million grant that was approved in January, the county stated expanding the tree canopy in the Glades would “lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.”

A $3 million climate solutions community project is rejected

The other grant canceled was for $3 million. It would have funded a “Climate Resilient Communities project” to increase knowledge and involvement in local government resilience planning efforts. The county’s partners included Community Partners of South Florida, the CLEO Institute, and Florida Atlantic University’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center.

The project was designed to identify community-driven solutions for pollution and climate resiliency, but the EPA ruled, like it did on the Glades grant, that it no longer aligned with its funding priorities.

The program would have provided participants with “a deeper understanding” of climate resilience and emergency preparedness and grass-root leaders would have been taught how to integrate climate resilience into their business operations. The intended beneficiaries are disadvantaged communities. Unlike the tree canopy project, no money had been spent before the county received the stop work order.

The cancellation of both grants was placed on the county commission agenda for Aug. 19. Commissioners accepted the EPA decision without any discussion.

Commissioner Gregg Weiss told The Palm Beach Post it was regrettable that EPA chose to rescind the grants. Climate change, he noted, is something that must and should be addressed. “These funds would have helped us to do that,” he added. “It is unfortunate that EPA decided to do what it did. I’m not sure there is much we can do about it.”