Political uncertainty is not deterring a local climate official from continuing her work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change effects on underserved communities in Pima County.

Natalie Shepp, the county’s climate manager, says her team intends to continue their work despite President Donald Trump’s February announcement of his plans to cut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by approximately 65%.

This is part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to undo many of the climate initiatives implemented under former President Joe Biden.

Despite this, Shepp said she is not going to change her plans.

The EPA awarded Shepp’s department a $1 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant in 2023, which was used to draft the county’s Priority Climate Action Plan, an 85-page document completed in March 2024.

The plan details a number of climate-related priorities and projects based on extensive research conducted throughout the county. Part of the plan focuses on helping communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change, Shepp said.

Although their application for additional federal funding last year was denied, Shepp said she and her colleagues are nonetheless moving forward, putting the onus on Pima County to support and fund the initiatives.

“The plan is one thing, but doing it is a whole other thing,” said Shepp, who also heads community engagement for the county’s Department of Environmental Quality. “And that’s really going to be on Pima County to figure out because now we know the federal government isn’t going to be giving us money to do it. And it’s only going to get harder and harder with the new administration.”

The next step is to begin regular meetings with county stakeholders from the seven different emission sectors, she said, including transportation, and commercial and residential buildings. Stakeholders from each sector will be invited to provide input on greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures in meetings that will be open to the public.

All of this will culminate in the creation of a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, which Shepp said will be completed by December. This new plan will include those measures presented by local stakeholders from each of the sectors, as well as targets for emission reductions.

Shepp is confident that climate initiatives are a top priority for the county’s Board of Supervisors. Earlier this year, county supervisors approved a grant of nearly $700,000 from the EPA to improve air monitoring equipment at various locations around the county. Shepp said she is hopeful that despite the intense competition for budget allocation at the county level, climate initiatives will continue to be a top priority.

Sarah Davis, a senior advisor for the county administrator’s office, shares Shepp’s optimism.

“Pima County has enacted multiple resolutions and set forth enterprise-wide climate action leadership across 24 county departments, demonstrating continued commitment to being a leader in climate action,” Davis said.

As Trump administration budget cuts start to take effect, however, Shepp said the environmental work they do might look very different. Regardless of whether the cuts will be 65% of the EPA staff, which was initially proposed, or 65% of their budget, as the administration has stated more recently, Shepp says it’s very likely that those cuts will impact her department.

Currently there are project officers at the federal level who oversee many of the climate initiatives around the country, including the work of Shepp and her colleagues. However, with their positions at risk of being cut, there is much uncertainty.

The Trump Administration also removed, from both the White House and EPA websites, widely utilized environmental tools related to climate justice as part of a crackdown on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, initiatives.

A significant portion of the county’s action plan is dedicated to analyzing how climate initiatives can best serve the disadvantaged communities who are disproportionately affected by climate change. Shepp said that despite the federal government’s decision move away from inclusivity and climate justice, she has no plans to change course.

“I consider myself to be a public health practitioner,” Shepp said. “Everything we do is for public health. This isn’t just necessary if we want to save the trees, it’s also critical if we want to save the humans.”

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism