The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to close its scientific research arm and announce mass layoffs.
On July 18, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that they would be reducing their staff size by cutting their Office of Research and Development (ORD) in a Reductions in Force (RIF).
This will be done as a way to “save taxpayers nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars,” estimating $748.8 million in savings.
The EPA’s purpose is to help protect human health and maintain safe environment standards. They help ensure that Americans have clean air, land and water. In addition, their scientific committee helps find effective solutions to the biggest environmental pollutants to help prevent harmful illnesses caused by smog, toxic water and other contaminants that affect the American people.
The RIF is expected to mainly impact the Office of Research and Development (ORD). The office will instead be replaced by the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions (OASES), which they believe will allow the EPA to “prioritize research and science more than ever before.”
The Office of Research and Development was responsible for creating reliable and scientific-backed decisions through conducted research. Their decisions helped create a “safeguard” towards human health and environmental protections against pollution. They analyzed environmental and human health hazards such as toxic chemicals, climate change, smog, wildfires, water pollution and other forms of ensuring the protection of the country’s ecosystems.
In a statement released by the agency, they stated that they will be able to create a new agency that will be efficient in protecting human health and the environment while also being conscious of their government spending.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA has taken a close look at our operations to ensure the agency is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment while Powering the Great American Comeback. This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars, said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Some lawmakers expressed concern and their dissatisfaction towards their decision to cut the office. Zoe Lofgren of California serves as a ranking member on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. She condemned the Trump administration, calling the decision a “travesty.”
“Administrator Zeldin has finally confirmed what he had denied for months and months — the destruction of the Office of Research and Development. The Trump Administration is firing hardworking scientists while employing political appointees who it is to lie incessantly to Congress and to the American people. The obliteration of ORD will have generational impacts on Americans’ health and safety. This is a travesty,” said Lofgren in a statement.
This comes after the Trump administration had been deregulating the EPA’s presence in manufacturing and its environmental regulations.
On July 17, the White House released clarifications regarding their decision to grant two years of regulatory relief from “stringent Biden-era regulations” that they believed harmed the country. The four proclamations include a change of wide range American manufacturing, such as coal plants, taconite iron ore processing facilities, chemical manufacturers that produce chemicals related to semiconductors, medical device sterilization, advanced manufacturing and national defense systems.
They chose to grant relief to these manufacturers because past regulations in the Biden administration resulted in “unattainable compliance requirements” that they believe prevent the nation from achieving proper “energy reliability, economic vitality and national security.”
The EPA is expected to lose more than 3,700 employees, cutting nearly 23% from their staff and leaving thousands of federal workers without jobs or being forced into early retirement.
In March, the EPA officially launched 31 actions, their biggest deregulatory proclamation in U.S. history, as a way to push towards the “Great American Comeback.”
“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” said Zeldin in a statement.
The EPA released an array of deregulations for manufacturers as a way to help create stronger efficiency and growth in the economy. The list includes reconsiderations towards regulations in the oil and gas industry, regulations regarding toxic air standards towards coal-fired power plants and guidelines and standards towards the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry.
In an email sent to staffers before their announcement, the EPA proposed a newer arm that will be “much smaller” than the past office. Known as the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions (OASES), it will instead be focused more on short-term projects that will still meet the regulations granted by the EPA.
The reconstruction of a new office within the EPA will allow the Trump administration to help balance proper government spending as well as find ways to help ensure the safety of the American people and the environment.
