States were downsizing their environmental watchdogs long before the Trump administration began unraveling federal rules, according to a new report.
Two-thirds of states have cut staffing levels at environmental agencies over the past 15 years, and more than half have cut those agencies’ budgets, according to a report published Wednesday by the Environmental Integrity Project, a group that advocates for less pollution.
That includes seven states that have cut their environmental budgets by at least one-third, adjusted for inflation, led by Mississippi (71 percent cut), South Dakota (61 percent), Connecticut (51 percent) and Alabama (49 percent). Iowa, Wyoming and Texas cut their budgets by about 33 percent.
Those cuts could have profound effects on efforts to cut pollution, especially as the Trump administration cancels climate grants and rolls back environmental regulations.
