Fire up to 75% of its staff

EPA plans to eliminate science research office and fire up to 75% of its staff, sources say

From CNN’s Ella Nilsen

The Trump administration is planning to cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s science-focused Office of Research and Development (ORD) and fire up to 75% of its employees, according to House Science Committee Democratic staff who reviewed documents about the plan.

The move could eliminate over 1,000 positions in the office, which provides scientific expertise not only for federal regulations but also during times of disaster cleanup. The EPA documents discuss reassigning remaining ORD employees to other parts of the agency, the science committee staff said.

“While no decisions have been made yet, we are actively listening to employees at all levels to gather ideas on how to better fulfill agency statutory obligations, increase efficiency, and ensure the EPA is as up-to-date and effective as ever,” EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said in a statement.

Chris Frey, a former EPA official who led ORD under the Biden administration, told CNN the office provides scientific information critical for decision-making to protect human health during disasters. For instance, ORD worked to identify the health impacts of chemical hazards in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and chemical spill.

Frey said “the whole premise” of having this office “is to have some separation between the decisionmakers and the folks who are developing and translating the science, so the science is independent and can be done according to scientific integrity.” ORD also supports many states that don’t have their own scientific research offices to deal with things like harmful algal blooms, wildfire smoke, and cleaning up so-called forever chemicals, Frey added.

House Science Committee ranking member Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, blasted EPA’s move in a statement.