As EPA axes scientific research arm, Trump regime favors corporate profits above public health
The Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that it would eliminate its scientific research arm and begin firing hundreds of chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, after denying for months that it intended to do so.
The move underscores how the Trump administration is forging ahead with efforts to slash the federal work force and dismantle federal agencies after the Supreme Court allowed these plans to proceed while legal challenges unfold. Government scientists have been particular targets of the administration’s large-scale layoffs.
The decision to dismantle the E.P.A.’s Office of Research and Development had been widely expected since March, when a leaked document that called for eliminating the office was first reported by The New York Times. But until Friday, the Trump administration maintained that no final decisions had been made.
The E.P.A.’s science office provides the independent research that underpins nearly all of the agency’s policies and regulations. It has analyzed the risks of hazardous chemicals, the impact of wildfire smoke on public health and the contamination of drinking water by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Its research has often justified stricter environmental rules, prompting pushback from chemical manufacturers and other industries.
Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, has boasted about cutting dozens of environmental regulations, saying he wants to make it cheaper and easier for industries to operate.
When President Trump took office, the science office had roughly 1,155 employees. But more than 325 workers have left since January after accepting “deferred resignation” offers, according to an E.P.A. spokeswoman, Molly Vaseliou.
It was not immediately clear how many of the roughly 830 remaining employees would be fired. Ms. Vaseliou said in an email that the agency had not yet initiated the large-scale layoff, known as a “reduction in force.”
The American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, a union that represents more than 8,000 E.P.A. workers, slammed Friday’s announcement.
The science office “is the heart and brain of the E.P.A.,” said Justin Chen, president of A.F.G.E. Council 238. “Without it, we don’t have the means to assess impacts upon human health and the environment. Its destruction will devastate public health in our country.” [Continue reading…]