The State of North Carolina joined several other states in suing the Trump administration over the federal funding freeze. Millions of dollars that North Carolina had planned to spend are in limbo.
In a declaration filed with the court, Joshua Davis, CFO of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, said that if the federal government doesn’t lift the funding freeze, North Carolina will lose out on “$117 million in conservation projects.”
North Carolina received $50 million to support the state’s goal of conserving one million acres of forests and wetlands by 2040 and other initiatives.
The state planned to use the money to protect its shorelines, peatlands and coastal wetlands. The grant would also fund urban tree plantings and land restoration.
The state agency counted on these federal reimbursements to avoid a potential budget shortfall. These projects would avoid or store 3 million metric tons of carbon emissions by 2030.
Many of the projects also aim to reduce wildfire risk and help communities adapt to rising floods.
The state agency has already begun work on the projects, sinking hundreds of hours into conservation projects that might lose funding.