EPA scientists working in the Office of Research and Development could be reassigned to help reduce a “massive backlog” of pesticides and chemicals awaiting agency approval, Administrator Lee Zeldin said Tuesday.
The agency is considering eliminating the Office of Research and Development as part of the Trump administration’s plan to slash spending and shrink the size of the federal government. The office employs over 1,500 scientists and other experts and is a leading source of environmental research.
Speaking at a conference for state environmental regulators, Zeldin said EPA has made no final decisions but might relocate researchers at that office to other divisions, such as new chemical reviews, the Office of Water or the Superfund program.
“If it makes sense to have 100 people from the Office of Research and Development work with the chemicals office to get the backlog down, I’ll take that feedback,” he said at the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) conference in Arlington, Virginia.
