The Trump administration is rolling back decades of environmental justice initiatives, defunding programs, laying off U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff, and reversing policies aimed at protecting vulnerable communities from pollution.
Zoë Schlanger reports for The Atlantic.
In short:
- The administration has put 160 EPA employees working on environmental justice on leave and is working to eliminate all related offices and positions by March 21.
- Federal environmental justice efforts, established under past presidents, aimed to address pollution disproportionately affecting low-income and minority communities.
- Without these protections, poor and rural communities — many in Republican strongholds — will face greater risks from pollution, extreme heat, and flooding.
Key quote:
“There are still these places where life expectancy is 10 to 15 years less than other parts of the country.”
— Adam Ortiz, former EPA Region 3 administrator
Why this matters:
Low-income and minority communities bear the brunt of industrial pollution, suffering higher rates of illness and shorter life expectancy. Environmental justice programs aimed to address these disparities, but their dismantling could leave millions more vulnerable. Without federal oversight, pollution from factories, refineries, and hazardous waste sites may go unchecked, worsening public health crises. The rollback also weakens climate resilience, as communities already at risk from extreme weather lose vital support.
Read more:
- Opinion: America, this is what environmental justice is — and what we all stand to lose
- Scientists restore climate justice data tool after Trump administration took it offline
