A Battered and Bandaged Bald Eagle – “Only 1,361 Days to Go” Graces the Cover of the April 26th – May 2nd, 2025 Magazine – “The Economist”

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior and Evironment Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s plan to dismantle the Enviromental Protection Agency’ s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) –  yesterday afternoon.

“Dismantling the EPA’s Office of Research and Development is an unconscionable attack on science and public health.  This so-called ‘reorganization’ is a thinly veiled attempt to extinguish the Agency’s world-renowned scientific expertise by schuffling scientists to process chemical reviews for industry.

EPA seems to be jumping at the chance to appease DOGE by eliminating federal programs that research new and emerging threats to America’s air and water, jeopardizing public health for the sake of “efficiency.”

The admnistration;s  claim that this restructuring serves the public interest ignores the facts:  More than 1,000 critical scietific positions face elimination, including irreplaceable chemists, toxicologists and environmental biologists.  This action violates both Congressional interest and federal law.  Congress explicitly appropriated funds for EPA’s science and technoogy initiatives in the current budget — funds that cannot be legally impounded or diverted.

ORD’s work is critical to addressing environmental hazards like PFAs contamination, assessing the health impacts of toxic chemicals and responding to natural disasters.  States rely on the expertise from ORD to meet their regulatory obligations.  Dismantling this office will not only stall vital research, but also strip the EPA and state partners of their ability to make informed, science-based decisions that protect public health.

This move follows a disturbing pattern of politically, motivated purges within the EPA, where allegiance to the president and his fossil fuel allies takes precedence over expertise and public services.  We’re witnessing the transformation of a vital regulatory agency into a rubber stamp for corporate polluters with career scientists being displaced while industry influence expands.  Such actions jeopardize the health and safety of all Americans, particularly those in vulnerable and underserved communities already bearing disproportionate environmental burdens.

I have formally opposed this reckless plan and urge Administrator Zeldin to reverse course immediately.  The integrity of the EPA’s scientific research must be preserved to ensure sound policymaking and the contiued protection of public health and the environment.  The American people will not stand by while their fundamental right to clean air, water and a healthy environment is sacrificed for the profits of a few.”