Executive order puts Bass Reeves loop, other Fort Smith projects in limbo
by January 24, 2025 6:32 pm 2,074 views
There is about $40 million in federal grant funds awarded to the City of Fort Smith in limbo following an executive order by President Donald Trump to freeze certain infrastructure funds tied to bipartisan legislation approved by Congress and signed into law.
Trump’s executive order required federal agencies to “immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act [IRA] of 2022 … or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act [IIJA].”
The White House later issued this statement in an attempt to clarify the order: “The directive in section 7 of the Executive Order entitled Unleashing American Energy requires agencies to immediately pause disbursement of funds appropriated under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58). This pause only applies to funds supporting programs, projects, or activities that may be implicated by the policy established in Section 2 of the order. This interpretation is consistent with section 7’s heading (‘Terminating the Green New Deal’) and its reference to the ‘law and the policy outlined in section 2 of th[e] order.’ For the purposes of implementing section 7 of the Order, funds supporting the ‘Green New Deal’ refer to any appropriations for objectives that contravene the policies established in section 2. Agency heads may disburse funds as they deem necessary after consulting with the Office of Management and Budget.”
It was recently announced that Fort Smith is set to receive $24.9 million through the Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) to build the Bass Reeves Legacy Loop Greenway Initiative. The project is a 14-mile greenway loop with new and existing trails.
The loop includes 9.3 miles of new trails giving a route to schools, parks, jobs, medical care and essential services. The city has said that 20% of Fort Smith residents will live within a half mile of the loop. The loop would connect eight schools in order to allow students to more safely walk or ride bikes to schools.
The city has also been awarded a $14.5 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) that was part of an almost $100 million grant awarded in July 2024 to three Arkansas entities. The funds were from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support climate change reduction efforts.
Fort Smith also was awarded a $1.24 million grant through the federal Safe Streets for All program. The money will allow work to begin on improvements aimed at enhancing road safety and promoting multimodal transportation options along Park and Grand avenues in the city.
“The situation could affect funding for previously awarded grants, but we are currently uncertain about the extent of those impacts. Right now, we are in a holding pattern. Once President Trump’s Cabinet is fully confirmed, we expect to have more clarity,” Josh Buchfink, Fort Smith’s public relations manager.
He said the city has been in contact with the state’s Congressional delegation about the funding uncertainty.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, told Talk Business & Politics that Congress also has funding authority on laws it has passed.
“Like any good executive, the President and his team are assessing the situation they just took over. That’s not unprecedented. Congress’s Article 1 funding authority is clear and I look forward to working with the Administration to ensure Fort Smith receives the resources it needs,” Womack noted in a statement.
Interim City Administrator Jeff Dingman said there is uncertainty about the funding and he hopes it eventually comes through, but the city has not yet taken action to implement actions or projects that are funded through the programs. His concern is that if it takes more time to approve and release the funding, project costs may have changed.
“(A)s time moves on, inflation moves on and the costs rise. So, can we still do them with whatever dollars are allocated? I mean, that would be our only real concern at this point,” Dingman said.
He also said the city’s primary projects, especially those tied to water and sewer system improvements, will not change.
“Our big priorities are still our big priorities. Those things (tied to the uncertain funding) would add some good projects for us, but at this point they are not critical enough that they would stop something we are doing or are trying to do,” Dingman said.