The Trump administration has taken a big step toward dismantling EPA’s much-vaunted effort to aid marginalized areas that have long struggled with pollution.
EPA leadership put 168 employees involved with the agency’s environmental justice work on administrative leave Thursday.
That effort, which was housed in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights created by the Biden administration in 2022, has been tasked with administering billions of dollars in grants to low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
The future of that office is now up in the air.
EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou told POLITICO’s E&E News the agency was working to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs and its associated guidance. In turn, career staff determined which environmental justice office employees had work required by the law or performed key functions, she said.
“As such, 168 staffers were placed on administrative leave as their function did not relate to the agency’s statutory duties or grant work,” Vaseliou said.
She added, “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.”
Environmental justice work at EPA is wrapped up in Trump’s effort to end diversity initiatives across the federal government. Guidance from the Office of Personnel Management released last month said agencies should “terminate” DEI and “environmental justice” offices and positions within 60 days, including sending “reduction-in-force” or layoff notices to employees.
More than 200 people work for EPA’s environmental justice programs in the agency’s headquarters in downtown Washington and across its 10 regional branches.
The environmental justice office is also responsible for administering $3 billion in grants under the Inflation Reduction Act.
