Trump's EPA eliminates research and development office and begins layoffs
The agency's office of research and development (ORD) has long provided the scientific underpinnings for the EPA's mission to protect the environment and human health. The EPA said in May it would shift its scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices that focus on major issues such as air and water.
The agency said on Friday it is creating a new office of applied science and environmental solutions that will allow it to focus on research and science 'more than ever before'.
Once fully implemented, the changes will save the EPA nearly $750m, officials said.
Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, the top Democrat on the House science committee, called the elimination of the research office 'a travesty'.
'The Trump administration is firing hardworking scientists while employing political appointees whose job it is to lie incessantly to Congress and to the American people,' she said. 'The obliteration of ORD will have generational impacts on Americans' health and safety.'
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement that the changes announced Friday would ensure the agency 'is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment, while Powering the Great American Comeback'.
The EPA also said it is beginning the process to eliminate thousands of jobs, following asupreme court ruling last week that cleared the way for Donald Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce, despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs.
Total staffing at EPA will go down to 12,448, a reduction of more than 3,700 employees, or nearly 23%, from staffing levels in January when Trump took office, the agency said.
'This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars,' Zeldin said, using a government term for mass firings.
The office of research and development 'is the heart and brain of the EPA', said Justin Chen, president of American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents thousands of EPA employees.
'Without it, we don't have the means to assess impacts upon human health and the environment,' Chen said. 'Its destruction will devastate public health in our country.'
Sign up to Down to Earth
The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential
after newsletter promotion
The research office – EPA's main science arm – currently has 1,540 positions, excluding special government employees and public health officers, according to agency documents reviewed by Democratic staff on the House science panel earlier this year. As many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists could be laid off, the documents indicated.
The research office has 10 facilities across the country, stretching from Florida and North Carolina to Oregon. An EPA spokeswoman said that all laboratory functions currently conducted by the research office will continue.
In addition to the reduction in force, the agency also is offering the third round of deferred resignations for eligible employees, including research office staff, spokeswoman Molly Vaseliou said. The application period is open until 25 July.
The EPA's announcement comes two weeks after the agency put on administrative leave 139 employees who signed a 'declaration of dissent' with agency policies under the Trump administration. The agency accused the employees of 'unlawfully undermining' Trump's agenda.
In a letter made public on 30June, the employees wrote that the EPA is no longer living up to its mission to protect human health and the environment. The letter represented rare public criticism from agency employees who knew they could face retaliation for speaking out.
Associated Press contributed to reporting
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Flurry of trade deals offers relief for some Asian countries, while others wait
Donald Trump has announced trade deals with Japan and a handful of other Asian countries that will relieve some pressure on companies and consumers from sharply higher tariffs on their exports to the United States. A deal with China is under negotiation, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying an Aug. 12 deadline might be postponed again to allow more time for talks. Steep tariffs on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum remain, however, and many other countries, including South Korea and Thailand, have yet to clinch agreements. Overall, economists say the tariffs inevitably will dent growth in Asia and the world. The deals reached so far, ahead of Trump's Aug. 1 deadline Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced a deal Wednesday that will impose 15% tariffs on U.S. imports from Japan, down from Trump's proposed 25% 'reciprocal' tariffs. It was a huge relief for automakers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda, whose shares jumped by double digits in Tokyo. Trump also announced trade deals with the Philippines and Indonesia. After meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Trump said the import tax on products from his country would be subject to a 19% tariff, down just 1% from the earlier threat of a 20% tariff. Indonesia also will face a 19% tariff, down from the 32% rate Trump had recently said would apply, and it committed to eliminating nearly all of its trade barriers for imports of American goods. Earlier, Trump announced that Vietnam's exports would face a 20% tariff, with double that rate for goods transshipped from China, though there has been no formal announcement. Talks with China may be extended Negotiations with China are subject to an Aug. 12 deadline, but it's likely to be extended, Bessent told Fox Business on Tuesday. He said the two sides were due to hold another round of talks, this time in Sweden, early next week. Meanwhile, Trump said a trip to China may happen soon, hinting at efforts to stabilize U.S.-China trade relations. A preliminary agreement announced in June paved the way for China to lift some restrictions on its exports of rare earths, minerals critical for high technology and other manufacturing. In May, the U.S. agreed to drop Trump's 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days, while China agreed to lower its 125% rate on U.S. goods to 10%. The reprieve allowed companies more time to rush to try to beat the potentially higher tariffs, giving a boost to Chinese exports and alleviating some of the pressure on its manufacturing sector. But prolonged uncertainty over what Trump might do has left companies wary about committing to further investment in China. No deals yet for South Korea and other Asian countries Pressure is mounting on some countries in Asia and elsewhere as the Aug. 1 deadline for striking deals approaches. Trump sent letters, posted on Truth Social, outlining higher tariffs some countries will face if they fail to reach agreements. He said they'd face even higher tariffs if they retaliate by raising their own import duties. South Korea's is set at 25%. Imports from Myanmar and Laos would be taxed at 40%, Cambodia and Thailand at 36%, Serbia and Bangladesh at 35%, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 30% and Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia at 25%. Nearly every country has faced a minimum 10% levy on goods entering the U.S. since April, on top of other sectoral levies. Economists expect tariffs to sap growth even with trade deals Even after Trump has pulled back from the harshest of his threatened tariffs, the onslaught of uncertainty and higher costs for both manufacturers and consumers has raised risks for the regional and global economy. Economists have been downgrading their estimates for growth in 2025 and beyond. The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday it had cut its growth estimate for economies in developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.7% in 2025 and 4.6% in 2026, down 0.2 percentage points and 0.1 percentage points. The outlook for the region could be further dimmed by an escalation of tariffs and trade friction, it said. 'Other risks include conflicts and geopolitical tensions that could disrupt global supply chains and raise energy prices,' as well as a deterioration in China's ailing property market. Economists at AMRO were less optimistic, expecting growth for Southeast Asia and other major economies in Asia at 3.8% in 2025 and 3.6% next year. While countries in the region have moved to protect their economies from Trump's trade shock, they face significant uncertainties, said AMRO's chief economist, Dong He. 'Uneven progress in tariff negotiations and the potential expansion of tariffs to additional products could further disrupt trade activities and weigh on growth for the region,' he said.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Blaming Trump, Equinor makes $955 million US offshore wind writedown
OSLO, July 23 (Reuters) - Norway's Equinor ( opens new tab booked on Wednesday a $955 million impairment on an offshore wind project in the United States, citing U.S. tariffs and the uncertainty of the U.S. regulatory environment under President Donald Trump. Hopes the industry had harboured that projects in the United States would revive the sector were dashed on Trump's first day back in office in January when he suspended offshore wind leases. Then in April, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shut down Equinor's Empire Wind development in New York state. He later lifted the stop-work order on the project. For Equinor, however, the damage has been done. On Wednesday, it reported its net operating income for the second quarter fell due to having to book a near-billion dollar impairment on its U.S. offshore wind projects. "This is impacted by an impairment of $955 million due to regulatory changes causing loss of synergies from future offshore wind projects and increased exposure to tariffs," Equinor said in a statement on Wednesday. "Of this, $763 million is related to Empire Wind 1/South Brooklyn Marine Terminal project and the remainder is related to the Empire Wind 2 lease." Equinor, majority-owned by the Norwegian state, had won a federal lease for Empire Wind in 2017 under Trump's first administration and secured approval for its investment plans in 2023 during former President Joe Biden's time in the White House. The global offshore wind market, once touted by governments as a cornerstone of efforts to cut carbon emissions, has faltered under escalating costs and logistical setbacks. Equinor CFO Torgrim Reitan said the U.S. administration changing its mind on developing offshore wind had affected the value of the group's large onshore terminal in South Brooklyn, built to serve offshore wind farm installations. "It is a result of changing regulations so there is very little probability for more offshore wind projects coming in the U.S. over the foreseeable future and that is impacting a project that we have related to staging facilities," he told Bloomberg TV. Equinor would not develop the second phase of the Empire Wind farm, as it had earlier planned, he added. "We don't intend to push it forward currently," Reitan said of Empire Wind 2. The total book value after the latest impairments was $2.3 billion, Equinor said on Wednesday. With a planned installed capacity of 810 megawatts, Empire Wind 1 could generate enough electricity to power half a million homes a year and was expected to begin operating in 2027. Equinor on Wednesday also reported a decline in core second-quarter results, as expected, due to lower oil prices.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia pays US another $800m for Aukus amid Trump administration review of security pact
Australia made a second $800m payment to America's shipbuilding industry – bringing total payments so far to $1.6bn which was promised before the Trump administration placied the Aukus agreement under review. As part of the Aukus deal – in which Australia would buy nuclear submarines from the US ahead of its own nuclear submarines being built in Adelaide - Australia has agreed to pay about $4.6bn towards boosting US shipbuilding capacity. After decades of under-investment, the US has fewer nuclear submarines than it needs for its own defence, and is building them too slowly to replace its ageing fleet, potentially jeopardising the sale of any submarines to Australia. The office of Australian defence minister Richard Marles has confirmed the second $800m payment was made in the second quarter of 2025 to boost US boat-building, with payments occurring 'in line with Australia's commitment to contribute US$2 billion by the end of 2025'. A further payment is due later this year. 'When the AUKUS pathway was announced in March 2023, Australia was clear that we would make a proportionate contribution to the United States industrial base,' a defence spokesperson said 'Australia's contribution is about accelerating US production rates and maintenance to enable the delivery of Australia's future Virginia class submarines.' Anthony Albanese confirmed the payment was made as part of an agreed schedule, committed to before the US announced its review of Aukus. 'There is a schedule of payments to be made, we have an agreement with the United States as well as with the United Kingdom, it is about increasing the capacity, their industrial capacity, and as part of that, we have Australians on the ground, learning the skills so that when it comes to the SSN Aukus, the submarines being built here in Australia, we have those skills.' Australia is also paying the UK about $4.6bn to assist its shipbuilding industry. In June, US president Donald Trump ordered a review into the Aukus deal signed by his predecessor Joe Biden. The review is being headed by the Pentagon's under secretary of defense for policy Elbridge Colby, who has previously declared himself 'skeptical' about the deal, fearing it could leave US sailors exposed and under-resourced. There is speculation the review could demand further financial contributions – or political commitments such as support in a conflict over Taiwan – from Australia in exchange for the sale of nuclear submarines and transfer of nuclear technology. The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has already asked Australia to lift its overall defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, from its current level of 2%. The US has been demanding similar increases from other allies, including Nato countries. One of the most significant concerns over Aukus in the US is the naval superpower's capacity to spare any submarines to sell to Australia: the first sale is forecast for 2032. The Aukus agreement mandates that before any submarine can be sold to Australia, the US commander-in-chief – the president of the day – must certify that America relinquishing a submarine will not diminish the US navy's undersea capability. The US's submarine fleet numbers are currently a quarter below their target and the country is producing boats at half the rate it needs to service its own needs, US government figures show. Marles told parliament in question time that Aukus would deliver Australia a 'long-range submarine capability' required for a more contested region and world. 'We are living in a more volatile world with increasing challenges… we need a defence force which will give pause for thought for any potential adversary which seeks to coerce us.' The head of the Australian Submarine Agency, Vice-Admiral Jonathan Mead, told senate estimates in February this year Australia's funding to the US industrial base was a vital element of the Aukus deal. 'This contribution will help uplift the US submarine industrial base capacity and accelerate sustainment and production to enable the delivery of Virginia class submarines to Australia. 'Australia's contribution to the US submarine industrial base is to benefit both the United States and Australia.'
