The Village of Sauget in St. Clair County, Illinois, has a dark history that dates back to its founding in 1926. Originally named “Monsanto” after the chemical company executives who founded it, Sauget was established with the intention of being a polluted industrial town. Over the years, it has been home to major companies like ExxonMobil, Clayton Chemical, Gavilon Fertilizer, Eastman Chemical, and Veolia North America, known for their lax manufacturing and emissions practices.
The 134 residents of Sauget, along with the 700,000 people in the surrounding East St. Louis metro area, have often found themselves at the mercy of their corporate neighbors. In the 1990s, a longitudinal EPA study revealed that the residents were exposed to high levels of harmful compounds like lead, volatile organic compounds, and sulfur dioxide, leading to increased risks of cancer and respiratory illnesses.
Mayor Rich Sauget once famously stated, “We were basically incorporated to be a sewer,” highlighting the town’s unfortunate reality. One of the major polluters in the area is Veolia Environmental Services, a company that operates an incinerator burning hazardous waste. The facility has been a source of concern for residents, who have reported foul smells and health issues possibly linked to the incinerator’s emissions.
In an effort to address the environmental and health concerns in the area, Darnell Tingle and the United Congregations of Metro-East proposed installing air quality monitoring stations on local churches. The plan was to analyze the data collected and potentially uncover the sources of pollution affecting the community. However, their hopes were dashed in 2025 when the Trump administration abruptly withdrew the promised grant funding, leaving the project incomplete.
The termination of the Community Change Grant program had far-reaching consequences beyond Sauget. Communities across the country, from Pocatello, Idaho, to the South Bronx, New York, and the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, lost crucial funding for essential projects ranging from water contamination issues to flood prevention and infrastructure improvements.
Former EPA advisor Zealan Hoover highlighted the importance of direct funding to frontline communities and the devastating impact of the grant terminations. Many affected communities have expressed disappointment and frustration with the agency’s decision, leading to a sense of grief and loss for the much-needed projects.
Despite the setbacks, organizations like the United Congregations of Metro-East remain hopeful that alternative funding sources will emerge, allowing them to continue their efforts to address environmental and social justice issues in their communities. The fight for a cleaner, healthier future continues, even in the face of adversity and funding challenges. Many municipalities and nonprofits are still embroiled in litigation against the EPA in an effort to recoup losses they have suffered in terms of both money and time. Despite the EPA freeze of $20 billion in climate grants, these entities are determined to fight for what they believe they are owed.
One such example is the town of Flandreau in South Dakota, which had to close its application for a grant to bring solar power to the homes of Flandreau Santee Sioux Nation members. Native Sun Community Power Development, the nonprofit working with the town and tribe, was left disappointed by this turn of events. Despite securing some local and private funding, they have not been able to fill the void left by the EPA Community Change money. As a result, Native Sun has had to operate on a very tight budget, with limited resources and manpower.
The organization has shifted its focus to renewable energy workforce development in collaboration with the state of Minnesota, rather than pursuing large-scale infrastructure projects. This shift reflects the challenging landscape for green energy and disaster resilience work, with organizations vying for limited funding opportunities. The termination of multi-billion dollar funding sources by the Trump administration has left many struggling to make ends meet.
Rhonda Conn of Native Sun expressed the stress and frustration felt by many in the industry, noting that there is now intense competition for a limited pool of funding. Despite the challenges, these organizations remain committed to their mission and are exploring alternative funding sources to continue their important work. The fight against the EPA freeze continues, as municipalities and nonprofits seek justice and financial restitution for the setbacks they have faced.
