EPA will cut staffing to Reagan-era levels and gut its stand-alone Office of Research and Development, Administrator Lee Zeldin said Friday.
The agency will move some scientists in its research office to other divisions, with the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention set to gain “more than 130 scientific, bioinformatic, technical, and information technology experts,” the agency said in a news release. That office is charged with reviewing new chemicals and pesticides.
“In this reorganization, the agency is shifting its scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices to tackle statutory obligations and mission essential functions,” Zeldin said in a video message.
Zeldin has promised to cut agency spending by 65 percent to support the Trump administration’s broader government-slashing aims. The White House issued a proposal Friday that would cut the agency’s budget by 55 percent in fiscal 2026.
EPA has not said how many jobs would be eliminated but that the agency’s employment levels will resemble those during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. The agency had on average between 1,000 and 3,000 fewer full-time staff during those years compared to over 15,000 at the end of the Biden administration.
The agency said it’s creating a new “Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions,” to “elevate research efforts, put science at the forefront of the agency’s rulemaking, and enhance technical assistance service for states and local partners.”
In addition, EPA will gain an “Office of State Air Partnerships” to focus on issuing permits to states, tribes and local governments “more efficiently,” he continued.
EPA did not respond to questions before publication.
