They had projects lined up and bills to pay but with their accounts frozen they were stuck in a financial pickle.
Usually when the EPA or any government agency throws a curveball like this they give a heads-up and a chance to fight back. But not this time! The nonprofits didn’t even get a whisper from the EPA or Citibank before their funds were put on ice. She pointed out that the EPA’s termination letters were throwing around words like “multiple ongoing investigations” without actually explaining what was going on. Vague much?
Cutting to the chase, the judge hit the gavel, saying the nonprofits were at risk of getting seriously burned if they didn’t get their hands back on their cash né?. In some juicy news, a federal judge came out swinging on Tuesday, calling out the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for pulling a move she described as “arbitrary and capricious.” The judge dropped the hammer by slapping a temporary restraining order on the EPA and Citibank, forcing them to give three nonprofits back their cash stash.
This legal showdown began when the three lucky nonprofits found their grant money frozen by Citibank at the EPA’s request. Climate United and Power Forward, two of the nonprofits in the ring, were hurtin’. She saw right through the shadiness and dropped the hammer, saying the termination letters were a big no-no. District Court for the District of Columbia didn’t beat around the bush. By dropping the restraining order, she’s setting the stage for a showdown where the nonprofits might just come out on top.
And hey, take a peek at this cool pic below!
. They tried to withdraw some cash, but Citibank was playing hard to get, and the EPA was ghosting their calls.
After a comedy of errors involving rescheduled meetings and last-minute cancellations, the judge wasn’t buying the EPA’s song and dance. Allegations of waste, fraud, and conflicts of interest had the EPA hitting the panic button. But hold up – the judge wasn’t buying it né?. She found the EPA’s accusations to be more on the thin and shaky side, rather than solid and substantial.
The judge, Tanya Chutkan from the U.S
