US EPA research in limbo as scientists brace for massive job cuts
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - As forecasters predict another devastating year of wildfires, a tool developed by Environmental Protection Agency scientists to study the health effects of hazardous smoke has effectively been grounded by a looming Trump administration reorganization, three people familiar with the impact of the planned cuts say.
Kolibri, a sensor the size of a shoebox, was developed by EPA scientists to enable research not being done anywhere else in the world: It can attach to a drone, fly into smoke plumes and measure just about any kind of airborne pollution.
The future of this project and a range of other research across 50 states is at risk as the EPA prepares a massive agency overhaul, which is expected to include a closure of its Office of Research and Development (ORD), according to more than a dozen EPA scientists who declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
On Thursday EPA ORD staff received an email, which was seen by Reuters, saying there will be an all-hands meeting on Friday late afternoon.
The EPA said its drone program remains active, but the three sources familiar with the Kolibri project said impending layoffs of key staff will halt operations.
Leda Kobziar, a wildland fire science professor at the University of Idaho, praised the Kolibri sensor team as global leaders in their field. 'Their technology and tools play a pivotal role doing smoke research that no one else right now can do,' she told Reuters.
Internal documents reviewed by the U.S. House Science Committee indicate up to 75% of the EPA's 1,200 Office of Research and Development staff could face layoffs, with the office's closure part of President Trump's plan to cut the agency's budget by 65%.
More than a dozen EPA scientists told Reuters they are operating amid anxiety and uncertainty, as research has stalled across 11 offices due to slashed resources and travel. Projects affected include health risk assessments of "forever chemicals" like PFAS, investigations into respiratory illness in the rural south, and studies on the spread of valley fever, a fungal disease exacerbated by climate change and wildfires.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told reporters last week that ORD reorganization plans are still being discussed.
"I'm going to announce it as soon as I possibly can, but I want to make sure that it's as thoughtful as possible," he said. "This conversation isn't just about the Office of Research and Development. This is about every single office."
Zeldin said he does not have a specific number goal for cutting agency staff, but the agency needs enough staff to "fulfill our statutory obligations, to fulfill our core mission, to be able to power the great American comeback."
EVERYONE FEELS 'TERRIBLE', SAYS SCIENTIST
One ORD scientist who works out of EPA's headquarters said it has been hard to focus. "Every day we feel like the rug could be pulled out from underneath us," the scientist said.
"Everyone feels really terrible."
Another researcher based in North Carolina said research planning is on pause and the agency is taking away essential tools, such as credit cards and tech services.
Some scientists working on topics under scrutiny, like environmental justice, have stopped work completely.
An epidemiologist investigating air pollution in the rural south has halted work and community outreach due to exposure-related illnesses linked to a facility. "It's taken me years to build trust with these communities, and now I feel like I have to turn my back on them," the scientist said.
A researcher from the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) said its 60-person team remains in limbo. IRIS, which assesses pollutants like PFAS and arsenic, may merge with the EPA's chemical policy office, threatening its independence.
Potential dissolution of ORD could undermine scientific integrity and leave states ill-equipped to address public health risks, according to the EPA scientists who spoke to Reuters.
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, a 40-year EPA veteran who led ORD until 2021, said the agency's independence was preserved in prior administrations, including Trump's first term.
A centralized ORD ensures science informs multiple programs, she explained. "This administration isn't focusing on statutory requirements — it's just blowing things up," she added.
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