EPA Mission Tracker Archive

EPA administrators under former President Trump removed, weakened, and delayed many rules that protect public health and the environment. As a result, the agency was on a “reverse mission.” Instead of working to deliver environmental and public health protections, the Trump EPA allowed higher levels of pollution for longer periods of time. EPA leadership also undertook a larger project that will be more difficult to reverse: dismantling the agency’s ability to do its job.

The Trump EPA undermined the agency’s capacity to develop, implement, and enforce effective programs that reduce pollution and serve vital public needs. These efforts left behind a regime that delivers fewer reductions in harmful pollutants and an agency that lacks the institutional tools to protect public health and the environment.

See below for our posts describing changes to critical processes that enable the agency to carry out its mission at the intersection between public health, science, and the environment. For more information on EPA’s rulemaking process, visit our overview page here.

Science

The Trump EPA undermined the agency’s standing as an expert agency and its ability to take science-based actions. Under former President Trump, EPA leadership also replaced qualified experts on its advisory committees, proposed excluding important science from its decision-making, changed its regulatory benefit calculations, and limited the scientific information it shares with the public.

Law Scholars Oppose EPA’s Changes to the Ozone Standards-Setting and Science-Advising Process – Oct. 2020
Final SAB Report Highlights Missing Justification for EPA’s “Secret Science” Proposal – May 2020
DC Circuit Weighs in on EPA’s Science Mandates – May 2020
More Legal Questions in EPA’s Supplemental Regulatory Science Proposal – April 2020
Cutting Science Advisors out of the Decision Making Process – April 2020
Science Advisory Board Draft Reports Reviewing Four Major Proposed Rules – Jan. 2020
GAO Report on EPA’s Science Advisory Panels – Aug. 2019
Removing Climate Change Information from EPA’s Website – July 2019
Appointing a Climate Change Skeptic to EPA’s Advisory Committee – Feb. 2019
Potential Presidential Committee on Climate Security – Feb. 2019
Comments by Public Health Experts on the Secret Science Proposal – Oct. 2018
Changing How EPA Calculates Regulatory Benefits – June 2018
Legal Shortcomings in EPA’s So-Called “Secret Science” Proposed Rule – May 2018
Results-Oriented Regulatory Science – May 2018
EPA is Planning to Limit the Science It Considers – April 2018
EPA’s Talking Points Cast Doubt on Climate Change Science – April 2018
Political Vetting of Grants – Feb. 2018
Removing Academic Scientists from Science Advisory Panels – Feb. 2018

Public Health

Under former President Trump, EPA failed to protect human health to the best of its ability. Agency leadership undermined the review process for air pollution standards that are essential to public health- the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

New Cost-Benefit Rule Hampers EPA’s Ability to Regulate Harmful Air Pollutants – Jan. 2021
Ongoing Changes to the Air Quality Standards Review Process – July 2020
CleanLaw Podcast Discussing EPA’s Science Advisory Panels – Dec. 2019
The Legal Consequences of EPA’s Disruption of the NAAQS Process – Sept. 2019
Comparing EPA’s 2018 Year in Review with its Mission – March 2019
Limiting Expertise in EPA’s Review of the Air Quality Standards – Oct. 2018
CleanLaw Podcast Discussing the NAAQS “Back to Basics” Memo – June 2018
Modifying the Air Quality Standards Review Process – June 2018

Accountability

Under former President Trump, EPA made it more difficult for the public to hold the agency accountable for protecting public health and the environment.

EPA’s Treatment of the Press – Sept. 2020
Legal and Legislative Challenges to EPA’s FOIA Restrictions – Feb. 2020
Comments on Proposed Changes to EAB’s Procedures – Feb. 2020
Updates to the Environmental Appeals Board Procedures – Dec. 2019
Restricting Access to Public Records – July 2019
Comparing EPA’s 2018 Year in Review with its Mission – March 2019
EPA Changes its Settlement Practices – Feb. 2018

Enforcement & Compliance

Under former President Trump, EPA changed its compliance and enforcement policies and how it collected monitoring information. These actions decreased the overall effectiveness of EPA’s programs and regulations during the Trump administration.

CleanLaw: Next Generation Environmental Regulations, Joe Goffman interviews Cynthia Giles – Nov. 2020
DOJ Phases Out Supplemental Environmental Projects in Environmental Enforcement – Aug. 2020
CleanLaw Podcast discussing EPA’s Enforcement Problems During COVID-19 – June 2020
CleanLaw Podcast discussing Enforcement of Oil & Gas – Nov. 2018
Centralizing EPA’s Compliance Information Requests – Feb. 2018
New Source Review Enforcement Memo – Feb. 2018

Environmental Justice

EPA’s EJ efforts to-date have been insufficient to address the scale and severity of environmental injustice in the US. These challenges worsened during the Trump administration.

EPA Undermines its Own Environmental Justice Programs – Nov. 2020