By Eric Curl
April 29, 2025 – The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently notified the city of Savannah that it was terminating a $1 million Enivronmental Justice Government-to-Government Program (EJG2G) grant meant to help provide affordable and accessible energy efficiency services to low- and moderate-income residents, according to city officials.
The EPA said that the grant was being terminated due to the agency’s determination that the “award no longer effectuates the program’s goals or agency priorities,” Savannah City Manager Jay Melder said in an April 1 memo to the city council.
Awarded in August of 2024, the grant’s goal was to establish a low- to no-cost energy efficiency program to help vulnerable populations across Savannah, according to city officials. The grant also contained a workforce training component to increase the local supply of electricians, HVAC technicians, and other skilled trade workers.
The grant subrecipient, Harambee House was to be responsible for overseeing the workforce training aspect of the project.
“We have notified the sub-recipient of the termination notice and instructed them to cease all grant-related expenditures,” Melder said in the memo. “We will begin the federally required grant close-out process, which will include reconciliation of any cost incurred prior to the March 28 termination.”
Press Secretary Joshua Peacock said on Monday that the city has not incurred any expenses related to this grant since there was no local match for the award.
“The City is reviewing the legal justification for this grant termination in order to determine if the grant can be reinstated,” Peacock said.
Last year, Savannah Alderman Nick Palumbo praised the grant as a “critical boost” for the city’s “ambitious goal of a 100% renewable energy future for Savannah by 2035, as reported by the Savannah Tribune.
The city also received an “advisory” on April 4 that FEMA intended to cancel $30 million in previously appropriated funds to make improvements to the Springfield Canal, via a Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, as previously reported. Unlike the EJG2G funds, there has been no “official termination letter” received concerning the BRIC grant, however, Peacock said.
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