Houston's most vulnerable communities may soon see changes in federal environmental funding

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston's most vulnerable communities could soon see major changes in federal funding.

A new executive order from President Trump erases a decades-old requirement for federal agencies to consider race and income when making environmental policies.

Cleophus Sharpe's family was one of the first to settle in Pleasantville.

Established just after World War II, the area became Houston's first planned Black community, but it was built right next to the Houston Ship Channel.

Then came 1-10, then I-610, sandwiching the area into a heavily industrial zone.

Now, plans to deepen and widen the ship channel are already underway, raising even more concerns about possible toxic exposure to sediment.

"We're not against industry. We're not against the expansion of the ship channel," Sharpe explained. "We just don't want to be the only ones bearing the brunt of this progress."

In the past few years, millions of federal dollars have been given out to clean up low-income communities with predominately Black and brown populations like Pleasantville, Sunnyside, and Kashmere Gardens.

"That is absolutely a concern that we have right now, that the money is going to be frozen," explained Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee.

President Trump's executive order calls for policies that consider race "dangerous, demeaning, and immoral."

It remains to be seen what the change would mean for disadvantaged areas.

"There have been no cancer clusters determined in River Oaks. There are no cancer clusters that have been identified in West U. We have seen cancer clusters in Fifth Ward. We know that there is a lower life expectancy for folks in Manchester. These are predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods," Menefee said. "It's not a race-blind solution because it's not a race-blind issue."

"I do invite you to step in the shoes of those people you said you don't need to fund," Sharpe said. "There's a system. I'm 73 years old. I've seen where there are certain places I couldn't go in, and I was told to go to the back just to get some food. So, if you didn't experience that, you can't tell me there's no system in place."

The federal government hasn't released any guidelines on what comes next.

So, for these communities, there's little to do but wait.

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