EPA puts 168 staffers on administrative leave
The Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it placed on leave 168 employees who worked on addressing pollution facing communities of color and low-income and rural areas.
The move is the latest and most sweeping action by EPA to implement President Donald Trump's agenda targeting diversity, equity and inclusion activities across the federal government.
The Biden administration had sought to increase the agency's focus on those 'environmental justice' communities that have historically borne a disproportionate share of the country's pollution, but the Trump administration has moved to roll those efforts back as part of its campaign to end DEI work.
'Career staff made determinations on which Office of Environmental Justice employees had statutory duties or core mission functions,' EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said in a statement. 'As such, 168 staffers were placed on administrative leave as their function did not relate to the agency's statutory duties or grant work. EPA is in the process of evaluating new structure and organization to ensure we are meeting our mission of protecting human health and the environment for all Americans.'
The affected employees were called to a hastily convened meeting Thursday afternoon, then sent a formal notification later in the day. 'Effective immediately, you are being placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits. This administrative leave is not being done for any disciplinary purpose,' a copy of the email obtained by POLITICO states.
Two office staffers who attended the meeting said not all of the environmental justice office's employees were present. The staffers were granted anonymity because they feared reprisals.
They said that Theresa Segovia, the career official who is overseeing the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights in an acting capacity, told them that employees receiving leave notices are those whose jobs are at least 50 percent focused on environmental justice work and are not statutorily required.
They said Segovia shared no information about the future of the environmental justice office, which was created in 2022 by President Joe Biden.
It was not immediately clear what if any functions of the office will continue. The office also handles complaints made under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while other workers provide basic support in areas like information technology, budgeting and fulfilling Freedom of Information Act requests.
The agency previously placed at least three workers on leave from its now-shuttered Office of Inclusive Excellence, which promoted DEI within the agency.
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