Overview

• The coalition led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen sent a formal letter Tuesday asking EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to cancel current and future grants to the Environmental Law Institute while it operates the Climate Judiciary Project.
• The letter alleges the project seeks to lobby or persuade judges to shape climate policy through the courts and cites ELI financial statements and program descriptions to support the claim.
• An EPA spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter and said the agency previously terminated two ELI grants on May 12, according to federal spending records referenced in the coverage.
• Public filings cited by the attorneys general show ELI received about $866,402 in EPA funding in 2023 and $637,591 in 2024, accounting for roughly 13% and 8.4% of its revenue in those years.
• ELI defends the Climate Judiciary Project as objective, science‑based judicial education developed with peer review and in partnership with judicial education institutions.