EPA closes Office of Environmental Justice, removing pollution protections for minority communities

On Feb. 2025, Trump appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency notified staff they plan to close the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights and place 168 of its employees on administrative leave (Washington Post EPA office closure).

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin canceled more than 400 environmental justice grants totaling $1.7 billion that had funded air monitors and clean-water projects (Stateline environmental grants article).

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued the executive order “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” terminating environmental justice positions; four days later, on Jan. 24, 2025, he rescinded Executive Order 14096, which had incorporated environmental justice into all executive-branch decision making (Stinson environmental analysis; Foley law firm policy analysis).