Tag Archives: Environmental Protection Agency

E.P.A. Demotes Career Employees Overseeing Science, Enforcement and More

E.P.A. Demotes Career Employees Overseeing Science, Enforcement and More

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to demote career employees who oversee scientific research, the enforcement of pollution laws, hazardous waste cleanup and the agency’s human resources department and replace them with political appointees, according to two people familiar with the approach. The move would give Trump administration loyalists more influence over aspects of the agency that were traditionally led by …

Read More »

E.P.A. Demotes Career Employees Overseeing Science, Enforcement and More

E.P.A. Demotes Career Employees Overseeing Science, Enforcement and More

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to demote career employees who oversee scientific research, the enforcement of pollution laws, hazardous waste cleanup and the agency’s human resources department and replace them with political appointees, according to two people familiar with the approach. The move would give Trump administration loyalists more influence over aspects of the agency that were traditionally led by …

Read More »

Trump’s Halt on Climate Spending Freezes Jobs and Stalls Projects

Trump’s Halt on Climate Spending Freezes Jobs and Stalls Projects

When marble-size hail fell on Alabama in 2023, it devastated Camp Hill, a town of 1,000 where nearly half the residents live below the poverty line. Decks were demolished, cars shattered, roofs destroyed, and few people had insurance. The community was expecting to get help this month in the form of a $20 million federal grant to help homeowners make …

Read More »

Senate Confirms Lee Zeldin to Head E.P.A.

Senate Confirms Lee Zeldin to Head E.P.A.

The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Lee Zeldin to run the Environmental Protection Agency, where he will be charged with executing President Trump’s orders to dismantle major environmental regulations, and possibly parts of the 55-year-old agency itself. The Senate voted 56-42 to confirm Mr. Zeldin, a former House member with little experience in environmental regulation. He is expected to …

Read More »

Two Chemical-Industry Officials Expected to Help Oversee E.P.A. Chemical Rules

Two Chemical-Industry Officials Expected to Help Oversee E.P.A. Chemical Rules

A former chemical-industry executive who fought against stronger regulations under the first Trump administration is returning to take critical roles at the Environmental Protection Agency, two people with knowledge of the appointment said, raising concerns of corporate influence on chemical safety regulations. Nancy B. Beck, a toxicologist and former executive at the American Chemistry Council, the industry’s main trade group, …

Read More »

Lee Zeldin, Trump’s Pick to Head E.P.A., Faces Senate Confirmation Hearing

Lee Zeldin, Trump’s Pick to Head E.P.A., Faces Senate Confirmation Hearing

Of all the government agencies that President-elect Donald J. Trump has threatened to shrink or eliminate, perhaps none has been a greater target than the Environmental Protection Agency. During the first Trump administration, the nation’s top regulator of air and water pollution and industrial chemicals saw its budget slashed, leading to an exodus of employees and weakened enforcement of environmental …

Read More »

In a First, the E.P.A. Warns of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Fertilizer

In a First, the E.P.A. Warns of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Fertilizer

For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency has warned that “forever chemicals” present in sewage sludge that is used as fertilizer can pose human health risks, saying in a study on Tuesday that, in some cases, the risks could exceed the agency’s safety thresholds “sometimes by several orders of magnitude.” The agency maintained, however, that the general food supply …

Read More »

‘Forever Chemicals’ Reach Tap Water via Treated Sewage, Study Finds

‘Forever Chemicals’ Reach Tap Water via Treated Sewage, Study Finds

As the world grapples with climate change, population growth and dwindling supplies of fresh water, more people are set to rely on treated wastewater to sustain their daily lives. But wastewater, even after treatment, contains high levels of harmful “forever chemicals” that are already contaminating the drinking water of millions of Americans, researchers said in a study published on Monday …

Read More »