E.P.A. to shut down environmental justice offices, leaving vulnerable communities exposed
The Trump administration is dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice offices, ending efforts to reduce pollution in low-income and minority communities.
Lisa Friedman reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- The EPA, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, is closing all regional and national offices focused on environmental justice, halting a decades-long initiative to protect communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.
- The move follows the administration’s broader push to eliminate programs tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with officials dismissing environmental justice as “forced discrimination.”
- The decision coincides with the dismissal of a federal lawsuit against a Louisiana petrochemical plant that had been accused of raising cancer risks in a predominantly Black community.
Key quote:
“If anybody needed a clearer sign that this administration gives not a single damn for the people of the United States, this is it.”
— Matthew Tejada, former head of EPA’s environmental justice program
Why this matters:
In a move that feels ripped from an industry lobbyist’s wish list, the Environmental Protection Agency is shutting down every single office dedicated to tackling pollution in low-income and minority communities. For those who don’t have the money or political clout to fight back, environmental protections are disappearing fast.
Read more: America, this is what environmental justice is — and what we all stand to lose.
