menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Environmental justice staff put on leave at EPA

2 28
08.02.2025
*{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img div{display:none}sub,sup{font-size:75%;line-height:0} @media (max-width:620px){.desktop_hide table.icons-outer{display:inline-table!important}.image_block div.fullWidth{max-width:100%!important}.mobile_hide{display:none}.row-content{width:100%!important}.stack .column{width:100%;display:block}.mobile_hide{min-height:0;max-height:0;max-width:0;overflow:hidden;font-size:0}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{display:table!important;max-height:none!important}.reverse{display:table;width:100%}.reverse .column.first{display:table-footer-group!important}.reverse .column.last{display:table-header-group!important}.row-10 td.column.first .border,.row-12 td.column.first .border,.row-8 td.column.first .border{padding:5px 5px 15px 25px;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0}.row-10 td.column.last .border,.row-12 td.column.last .border,.row-8 td.column.last .border{padding:5px 20px 25px 5px;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0}} {beacon}

Energy & Environment

Energy & Environment

 

The Big Story

Environmental justice staff put on leave at EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put more than 160 workers who tackle pollution in overburdened communities on leave.

© Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press file

The employees were part of the agency’s Office of Environmental Justice, which sought to help people in areas with significant levels of pollution — including minority neighborhoods.

EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou confirmed 168 staff members in the office were placed on leave since “their function did not relate to the agency’s statutory duties or grant work.”

Vaseliou also cited President Trump’s executive order that directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff to be put on leave and said the 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.”

In addition to the suspensions, a tool known as EJScreen, which showed how pollution data intersected with demographic and income data, was offline as of Friday.

Studies, including those conducted by the EPA in the past, have found that Black Americans in particular face high levels of pollution, and the disparities they face are even more pronounced than disparities faced by the poor.

Read more at TheHill.com.

 

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

 

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

 

Essential Reads

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

 

Transportation Department suspends $5 billion EV charger program

The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) on Thursday announced the suspension of a Biden-era electric vehicle (EV) charging network, the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to gut its predecessors’ energy and environmental moves.

© The Hill