FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2025
CONTACT:
Aaron Bharucha, Public Relations Associate
(509) 429-1699 and epn-press@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
Environmental Protection Network Condemns Dismantling of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, Termination of Staff, and Loss of Critical Grant Funding
The Environmental Protection Network (EPN) strongly condemns the dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), including the termination of its staff and the elimination of all related grant funding. This decision represents a profound setback for environmental justice efforts nationwide, one that strips the EPA of the personnel and resources necessary to protect communities disproportionately burdened by pollution and climate change.
The termination of the OEJECR’s staff is particularly alarming, as these professionals played a vital role in enforcing civil rights protections, ensuring equitable environmental policies and supporting communities facing environmental hazards. Their expertise and oversight were essential in preventing discriminatory environmental practices and holding polluters accountable. Without them, impacted communities will face increased risks with fewer avenues for recourse.
“By shutting down environmental justice, Trump’s EPA is turning its back on protecting clean air and safe drinking water for every American, regardless of where they live or who they voted for,” said Michelle Roos, Executive Director at EPN. “Trump is taking a chainsaw to EPA as a favor for corporate polluters that leaves everyone else wondering what toxic pollution will be in the water that we drink and the air that we breathe.”
The termination of environmental justice grant programs further compounds the harm. These grants have provided crucial support for community organizations tackling pollution, remediating contaminated sites and strengthening responses to environmental hazards. Without this funding, many local initiatives will be forced to halt efforts that protect public health and improve living conditions in underserved areas.
“This fight isn’t over,” added Roos. “The more the public understands how this affects the health and safety of their families, the more pressure will grow for Congress to stand up to Trump’s reckless assaults on EPA.”
EPN urges Congress to act immediately to restore the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, reinstate essential staff positions and reinvest in grant programs that empower affected communities. Additionally, EPN will continue collaborating with advocacy groups, local leaders and impacted communities to push for strong environmental protections and equitable policies that safeguard public health.
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ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NETWORK
Founded in 2017, the Environmental Protection Network harnesses the expertise of more than 600 former EPA career staff and confirmation-level appointees from Democratic and Republican administrations to provide the unique perspective of former scientists and regulators with decades of historical and subject matter knowledge.