Efforts to clean up contaminated sites like the former Exide battery plant in Los Angeles may stall as President Trump’s administration shifts EPA policies, potentially reducing funding and slowing designations for federal cleanup.
Dorany Pineda reports for The Associated Press.
In short:
- The Exide Technologies battery plant polluted thousands of properties in southeast Los Angeles with lead and the carcinogen trichloroethylene (TCE), prompting a costly cleanup effort by California.
- Environmental advocates and lawmakers want the EPA to designate Exide a Superfund site, which would unlock federal funding, but the Trump administration may limit new listings and cut program funding.
- Experts warn that weaker EPA oversight, staffing reductions and deregulation could slow or halt toxic site cleanups, particularly in states lacking resources to handle them independently.
Key quote:
“It’s been decades of poisoning with no accountability, and everyone deserves clean soil in their yards and clean air, clean water.”
— Aleja Cretcher, legal fellow at Communities for a Better Environment
Why this matters:
Toxic site cleanups safeguard communities from long-term health risks, particularly in low-income areas already overburdened by pollution. Lead exposure can cause neurological damage, especially in children, while TCE contamination in groundwater raises cancer risks. Federal Superfund designations provide crucial funding for remediation, but shifting EPA policies may delay or weaken protections. Cuts to regulatory oversight and funding could leave states struggling to manage cleanups, prolonging public health threats.
Read more: Trump administration shifts EPA leadership to political appointees
