The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has closed its regional environmental justice offices, putting rural communities at greater risk of pollution and health harms.
Julia Tilton reports for The Daily Yonder.
In short:
- The EPA halted environmental justice work at its 10 regional offices and placed staff on administrative leave, following a directive from administrator Lee Zeldin.
- Former EPA officials warn that the closures will especially harm rural communities already burdened by air and water pollution, citing examples like Sampson County, North Carolina, which struggles with hog industry waste and methane emissions from landfills.
- Environmental advocates and former agency staff say state governments lack the capacity and funding to fill the gap, leaving rural residents — especially in low-income areas — without the protections and recourse these offices once offered.
Key quote:
“They’re dismantling the ecosystem of health protections for rural Americans, and by dismantling them, they’ll make them more susceptible to future hazards.”
— Dr. Margot Brown, senior vice president of justice and equity at the Environmental Defense Fund
Why this matters:
Across rural America, communities are increasingly confronting environmental hazards without the institutional support they once relied on. The quiet dismantling of regional Environmental Protection Agency offices has left many small towns without key allies in tracking pollution or pushing back against powerful industrial interests. Historically, regional EPA staff acted as both watchdog and guide, helping local leaders cut through red tape and access federal protections. Now, many of those same communities, already grappling with hospital closures and aging infrastructure, must face environmental threats without expert backup.
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