EPA is spending millions of dollars on climate change programs, EV rideshare and "pruning workshops" from Biden's COVID bill.

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FIRST ON FOX:The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has spent $ 4.3 million on funding from President Biden's $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 bailout package, the environment. Promoted the activities of the Justice and Climate Change Program. It's like planting trees, "pruning workshops", "increasing acceptance of trees" in the city.

Last April, the EPA focused on the impact of COVID-19, climate and disaster resilience in a "poorly serviced community" through joint environmental justice resolution. Announced that each of the ten projects will be awarded $ 200,000. (EJCPS) Cooperation Agreement Program. This program uses $ 4.3 million from Biden's American Rescue Plan (ARP) law and $ 2.5 million from the EPA's annual budget for environmental justice, for a total of 34. Awarded organization.

President Joe Biden rescues the United States from the coronavirus Signed Plan Thursday, March 11, 2021 Relief Package at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)

 An Indianapolis-based organization called Beautiful is the "benefit of trees" About "green city suburbs" including educating residents and increasing "acceptance of trees in the city".

Another organization, New Mexico-based Tree New Mexico, has received ARP funding to plant trees in "a poorly serviced area of ​​the southeastern quadrant of Albuquerque." The project includes the provision of "pruning workshops" and "tree management education", with more residents becoming "citizen tree managers taking care of new and old trees" and occurring in urbanization. The purpose is to reduce the "heat island effect". area.

EPA spends $ 7 million on US rescue planning funds to replace diesel school buses with electric buses

Houston Based The Black United Fund of Texas is a project to develop "transport container farms, residential gardens, green technology, tree and native habitat planting, labor development, and public education." Received ARP funding through the EPA program in Houston.

According to the EPA website, Hourcar, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, has also been awarded an ARP-funded EJCPS fund and is a new all-electric car-sharing program with 150 shared electric vehicles. Launched "Evie car share". Supported by 70 curbside charging stations with a focus on low income and service to the BIPOC community.

The USASpending.gov website, which documents government spending, states that$ 200,000 of ARP funding for grants has been "mandated."

Just before the Democratic Party passed ARP in March 2021, without Republican support, Biden stated that all allocation of funds in legislation was essential. 

"We need Congress to pass my American rescue plan to deal with an urgent crisis, the urgency," the president said at the time."Now, critics say my plan is too big and costs $ 1.9 trillion. That's too much. Now let them ask: they ask me What do you want to reduce? What do they do? They exclude me. "

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris say July 15, 2021 about US rescue program at South Court Auditorium in Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, DC .. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

Currently, ARP is closely monitored for its role in the current inflation crisis, which is 8.6. Reached%. last month. Some economists, including the former Obama administration's economic adviser, have accused ARP of overheating the economy.

"Our country has a $ 30 trillion hole and is losing a lot of money at the federal level, but news like this should offend all taxpayers," said Republican Ralph. -Representative Norman told Fox News Digital in a statement about surveillance and reform. "These examples are not the proper functioning of government, but just the tip of the iceberg. The EPA (and I claim all institutions) is to explain how public funds are being used. Must be held in. ”

Fox News Digital previously raised theEPA to ARP fundingthrough the Environmental Justice Small Grant program in 2021. It has little to do with dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and pandemics, which reportedly used $ 5.25 million to grant grants to projects that were virtually there.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $ 4.3 million Funding from President Biden's $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package on environmental justice and climate change programs, including the Pruning Workshop. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

One of the nonprofits that received grants through the program is a Massachusetts-based organization. Speak for Project trees using techniques such as "story telling" and "tree walk" raise awareness and dialogue surrounding the "unfair canopy cover and live in the [environmental justice] community. The aim is to increase the impact on the health of the population. ""

Clean Air Carolina, , based in Charlotte, North Carolina , is at the public level 2 Received a grant for a project created by installing an EV charging station. Educational video as a way for community members to participate to mitigate air pollution.

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In a statement submitted to Fox News Digital Wednesday evening , EPA said the EJCPS program "has undergone a rigorous scoring and approval process to ensure that the project's activities and goals are consistent with the language and intent of the statutory authorities and ARP."

"All applications selected for funding have been reviewed by the EPA's Legal Advisory Office," the statement read. “The EJ Grant Program funds community-led projects. The basic beliefs of environmental justice are in the best position to tell the community how to speak for themselves and solve the challenges they face. That is to say, about 30 years of experience in granting effective grants to communities across the country will responsibly meet the needs of the community and support long-term goals for community revitalization. We have a track record of investing taxpayers' dollars in place. ”