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Trump Administration terminates 388 EPA Staff

Trump Administration terminates 388 EPA Staff

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Friday that it had terminated 388 of its employees who were hired in the past two years. It said this would align their workforce with President Donald Trump’s "energy dominance policy agenda".

The agency stated that it conducted a "thorough" review of its probationary employees, which are those who have been in their positions for less than 2 years.

In a press release, EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou stated that the agency terminated 388 probationary staff after a thorough evaluation of its functions. This was done in compliance with President Trump's Executive Orders.

The announcement of layoffs coincided with the termination of thousands probationary federal employees, including those in the areas such as consumer protection, wildfire prevention and nuclear safety.

Three sources from the EPA stated that the communication of the layoffs caused confusion in the agency. The affected employees were notified verbally.

The agency had already

Placed on Administrative Leave

Nearly 200 employees worked on environmental justice, and websites that track the areas most affected by industrial pollution.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is leading the agency's effort to rollback regulations enacted by former President Joe Biden. The Biden-era regulations focused on reducing emissions, accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles and providing financial and technological support to low-income communities and minorities that have been disproportionately affected by air and water pollutants.

One of his main tasks will be to determine whether or not the

Scientific Finding

This gives the agency authority to regulate greenhouse gases emissions from factories, power plants, and vehicles. (Reporting and editing by David Gregorio; Valerie Volcovici)

(source: Reuters)