Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration Restore Billions in Disaster Resistance Funding

In a victory for a coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia, a federal judge ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to restore billions of dollars in grants awarded to fund storm damage resistance efforts nationwide.

The Trump Administration in April announced that it was “ending” the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which helps communities with pre-disaster projects to harden infrastructure and improve resilience against the increasing threats of climate change. Federal District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns found that cancellation of the grants was unlawful since Congress appropriated the money specifically for the grants and that there was an “inherent public interest in ensuring that the government follows the law.” Stearns wrote in his order, “The BRIC program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives.” 

$200M for NC

NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson represented North Carolina in the lawsuit, demanding the restoration of $200 million in grants for over 60 approved infrastructure projects across the state. Some examples include multi-million-dollar projects in Salisbury, Hillsborough, Gastonia, and Leland to relocate sewage pump stations out of flood zones and improve sewage line capacity, in order to avoid damage, malfunctions, and sewage spills during storms. 

“We won this case because FEMA tried to take back $200 million that it had already designated for North Carolina,” said Attorney General Jackson. “Our towns spent years doing everything FEMA asked them to do to qualify for this funding, and they were in the middle of building real protections against storms when FEMA suddenly broke its word. Keeping water systems working and keeping homes out of floodwater isn’t politics – it’s basic safety. This ruling puts the money back where it was promised so these communities can be ready for the next storm.”

Untreated Sewage in Eno River

Hillsborough was one of the towns hit by flood damage during Tropical Storm Chantal last summer. Jackson visited the site in July after the storm, to see the damage that resulted from flooding of the sewage lift station on the Eno River after FEMA cancelled the grant which was to have paid for relocating the lift station to a hill outside of the flood zone. 

“We’re talking about millions of gallons of untreated sewage being swept into the Eno River, which dumps into Falls River, which is the river that I live next to. It’s the one that my kids get their drinking water from,” Jackson told reporters. “This is as clear an example as possible of why these funds were well-allocated and deserved to go where they were pledged to go.” 

No Stranger to Natural Disasters

Governor Josh Stein thanked Jackson for his successful efforts. “North Carolina unfortunately is no stranger to natural disasters, and building better infrastructure saves lives,” said Governor Stein. “I thank Attorney General Jackson for taking action to preserve our $200 million to protect our water and sewer systems, bridges, and more from floods and wildfires.”