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US EPA to cut staff back to 1980s levels and dissolve the research office

As part of an overhaul of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agency announced on Friday plans to cut its budget by $300,000,000 in fiscal year 2026. It also plans to reduce its staffing levels to those of 1980s and dissolve its Research and Development office. The reorganization will consolidate key offices and reflect President Donald Trump's executive order to reduce regulatory red tape, promote energy development, and cut down on bureaucracy.

In a press release, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated that the reorganization would bring needed efficiencies in incorporating science into rulemaking and sharply focus on our work to provide the cleanest air and water possible for our communities.

The agency has said that its staffing levels will drop to a level seen last in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan was president of the United States and the EPA was headed by an administrator critical of the agency. In 1984, there were just over 11,400 EPA staffers. By 2024, that number will rise to 15,100.

After weeks of speculation, Zeldin announced the cancellation of EPA grant money worth billions.

Major changes to the agency's structure include shifting scientific research from the Office of Research and Development to different program offices, such as a new office of applied science that would align research with the politically-appointed administrator's policy priorities.

Researchers at ORD had warned against dissolving ORD's research unit, arguing that it would undermine the scientific independence of the organization.

It said that the EPA would also raise issues such as cybersecurity, emergency response and water reuse and conservancy. (Reporting and editing by Leslie Adler, Ni Williams, and Valerie Volcovici)

(source: Reuters)