Committee Members Demand EPA Administrator Stop Plans to Close Office of Research and Development
Washington, DC – Yesterday, Democratic Science Committee Members sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Zeldin demanding that he cease any plans to weaken or shutter EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD). The EPA, along with other federal agencies, was ordered by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit an Agency RIF and Reorganization Plan (ARRP) to OMB in early March. In EPA’s Reduction in Force (RIF) plan, the agency made a proposal to “eliminate the Office of Research and Development as an EPA National Program Office” and fire “a majority (50-75%)” of employees.
The letter was signed by Ranking Member Lofgren (CA-18), Rep. Bonamici (OR-1), Rep. Stevens (MI-11), Rep. Ross (NC-2), Rep. Salinas (OR-6), Rep. Foushee (NC-4), Rep. Sykes (OH-13), and Rep. Amo (RI-1).
“We write to demand that you cease any plans to weaken or shutter the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development,” the Members said in the letter. “ORD is enshrined in statute. Virtually since the creation of the EPA itself, ORD has served as the cornerstone of science-based decision-making at the agency, which is required to use the best available science to protect human health and the environment…[Eliminating EPA ORD] would be illegal. It would also be a catastrophe for public health, environmental protection, and the civil servants working in ORD offices across the country. You must abandon this plan immediately so that the dedicated scientists at ORD can continue their work to keep Americans safe.”
The Members continue, emphasizing the fundamental and critical role EPA ORD plays in protecting Americans’ public health:
“EPA cannot adequately protect public health and the environment without using the best available science, and it cannot use the best available science without ORD. The science that is conducted at ORD laboratories, funded by ORD grants, and supported by ORD technical expertise is the foundation of the agency’s entire mission. In recent years, ORD scientists have worked to understand the most dangerous environmental hazards threatening the American public, from PFAS in drinking water to the air pollution caused by wildfire smoke to the risks of aging wastewater infrastructure…It is no exaggeration to say that ORD is a crown jewel of the agency. Without it, EPA simply cannot do its job. Eliminating ORD willfully blinds the EPA to present environmental dangers and future environmental risks, and every American would be less safe because of it.”
The letter can be found here.
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