The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically scaled back enforcement against major polluters, raising fears about the future of public health protections.
Tom Perkins reports for Grist.
In short:
- In the first three months of Trump’s second term, the EPA has filed no major pollution cases and is initiating around 100 fewer civil enforcement actions per month than during Biden’s last fiscal year.
- EPA staff say all major cases were paused in April for review by political appointees, and enforcement is being filtered through a higher bar — effectively granting polluters more leeway.
- Several cases finalized under Trump were in fact initiated and negotiated under Biden, further obscuring the administration’s enforcement record.
Key quote:
““The future is grim for environmental protection. The risk will be most felt in overburdened communities, but this will hurt red and blue districts alike. If the EPA cop is not on the beat, then people are going to be harmed.”
— Gary Jonesi, former top EPA enforcement attorney and director of CREEDemocracy
Why this matters:
For frontline communities — especially those already choking on refinery fumes or watching industrial runoff trickle into local waterways — the scaling back of enforcement has serious consequences. Environmental enforcement protects communities from harmful pollution that can cause cancer, respiratory disease, and neurological damage, among other acute and chronic health problems. The federal pullback could leave millions at risk while letting industry operate without accountability.
