Wichita State was supposed to receive $10 million over five years from the Environmental Protection Agency starting in 2023. Last month, however, the federal Department of Government Oversight cancelled the grant, which it said was for $5 million, claiming its cancellation would save the federal government $3.9 million.
WSU’s Director of Strategic Communication Lainie Mazzullo-Hart confirmed in an email that the total for the grant was $10 million.
“At the time of termination, WSU had performed and received $2 million,” Mazzullo-Hart said. Mazzullo-Hart did not respond to emails asking for clarification of the discrepancy between the various numbers given.
WSU was one of 17 locations chosen to create an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center. Other locations are throughout Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and some Indigenous nations. Each of these centers was to receive $10 million from the EPA in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Earlier this month, the Heartland Environmental Justice Center at WSU announced an immediate pause on all activities across all locations. According to their website, the HEJC’s goal was to “support communities across the Midwest in reaching their environmental justice and energy goals.”
A statement provided by Mazzullo-Hart confirmed the termination of the EPA grant but said the “transition does not diminish the center’s deep commitment to environmental sustainability.”
