"Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant"

"The remote village of Kipnuk planned to use the money to protect against flooding. On Sunday, it was inundated."

"Five months before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, tearing many houses off their foundations, the Trump administration canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from such extreme flooding.

The grant from the Environmental Protection Agency was designed to help stabilize the riverbank on which Kipnuk is built, protecting it from the twin threats of erosion and flooding.

But in May, the E.P.A. revoked the grant, which was issued at the end of the Biden administration, saying it was “no longer consistent” with the agency’s priorities. Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, boasted on social media that he was eliminating “wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grants,” referring to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and programs to help communities facing a disproportionate level of environmental threats."

Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman report for the New York Times October 15, 2025.