The Environmental Protection Agency will shutter its main scientific research division and implement mass layoffs, officials said Friday, marking the latest step in the Trump administration’s overhaul of the federal environmental agency.
The research office, which has long provided scientific expertise for environmental regulations and policies, employed more than 1,500 scientists, chemists, and toxicologists who studied threats including toxic chemicals, air pollution, and water contamination.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the cuts will save $748.8 million and help the agency “better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.”
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EPA employment will drop to 12,448 workers from the 16,155 on staff when Trump took office in January, representing a workforce cut of nearly 23%.
The EPA plans to create a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions, housed within the administrator’s office rather than operating as an independent research division. Officials said laboratory functions will continue and scientific staff will be redistributed to other EPA offices.
Public health experts condemned the move. “Science, data and research underpin all of EPA’s work,” said Dr. Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It’s hard to see how EPA can fulfill its mission without its scientific research arm.”
Critics worry the restructuring will undermine independent scientific research and make the agency’s work more susceptible to political influence. Staff reportedly learned of the elimination through the EPA’s public press release.
The announcement follows other significant changes at the agency, including the closure of the environmental justice office and administrative leave for employees who signed a “declaration of dissent” opposing agency policies.
The research office operated facilities across 10 states and managed grant programs funding university and private company research on environmental and health issues.
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