I know that sounds weird, but that’s what the new leader of the agency says
I think we all assumed that the job of the Environmental Protection Agency was pretty specific: the protect the environment. The new administrator says that while they want to ensure that America has clean air and water they have a much bigger priority:
Zeldin touched on regulatory reform and the changes the agency will make that he says will spur economic growth. “It means that it’s going to be easier to purchase a car. It’s going to be easier to heat your home. Operating a small business is going to be easier for people who are looking for employment, are going to have more opportunities.”
I thought we had other agencies that focused on that but ok. How does he plan to do that? By decimating the department and ,consequently, the environment:
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research arm, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, according to documents reviewed by Democrats on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
The strategy is part of large-scale layoffs, known as a “reduction in force,” being planned by the Trump administration, which is intent on shrinking the federal work force. Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the E.P.A., has said he wants to eliminate 65 percent of the agency’s budget. That would be a drastic reduction — one that experts said could hamper clean water and wastewater improvements, air quality monitoring, the cleanup of toxic industrial sites, and other parts of the agency’s mission.
The E.P.A.’s plan, which was presented to White House officials on Friday for review, calls for dissolving the agency’s largest department, the Office of Research and Development, and purging up to 75 percent of the people who work there.
I guess King Donald is going to sign an Executive Order declaring that all water, air and land be free of pollutants and it will be done. That’s the way America works now, apparently.
By the way:
The E.P.A.’s science office provides the independent research that undergirds virtually all of the agency’s environmental policies, from analyzing the risks of “forever chemicals” in drinking water to determining the best way to reduce fine particle pollution in the atmosphere. It has researched synthetic playground material made from discarded tires; found that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can contaminate drinking water; and measured the impact of wildfire smoke on public health. The office also helps state environmental agencies figure out how to address algae blooms, treat drinking water and more.
Who needs it, amirite?