Trump's EPA Plans to Gut Research. What that Means for Clean Air and Water Rules

image via New Scientist

March 19, 2025, 4:00 PM

• •EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's proposal to eliminate the Office of Research and Development — and fire hundreds of scientists — threatens to drain the agency of experts who ensure that federal rules accurately target pollution and provide remedies.
• •The move, if approved by the White House, could also lead the agency to depend on outside researchers who risk being selected through a politicized process that jeopardizes EPA's mission of assessing regulations without prejudice, according to experts.
• •Reverberations from gutting the research office, known as ORD, could affect the agency long past the end of President Donald Trump’s second term.

EPA's plan to fire hundreds of scientists could disrupt environmental rules focused on clean air and water long after President Donald Trump leaves office. The move, if approved by the White House, could also lead the agency to depend on outside researchers who risk being selected through a politicized process that jeopardizes EPA's mission of assessing regulations without prejudice, according to experts.

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