EPA Redirects 130 Scientists to Tackle Chemical Review Backlog

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will redistribute 130 scientists to its new chemicals review program as part of a major organizational restructuring that will help reduce a backlog of more than 500 new chemicals applications, said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin last week. 

The restructuring will bring new technology to the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) to advance per- and polyfluoroalkyl, or PFAS, testing. This includes the use of computational and bioinformatic tools and eventually artificial intelligence “to ensure that we are furthering our understanding of PFAS and its impacts on human health and the environment,” said Zeldin in a recorded video statement. 

The agency posted the open positions internally May 2, said an EPA spokesperson.

“OCSPP encourages staff we’re already collaborating with from across the agency to apply,” the spokesperson said. “Adding this expertise will help ensure we’re using the best science and latest tools to really drive our pesticides and TSCA programs into the future.”

The reassigned employees will be incorporated into the current organizational framework. This expansion includes approximately 25 senior-level and scientist positions outside the federal General Schedule classification, the spokesperson said.

As part of the reorganization, the administration also will establish the Office of State Air Partnerships, a division within the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation focused on standardizing processes among state, local and tribal air permitting authorities, Zeldin said. 

The agency noted that this will ensure air pollution standards are the same regardless of region. The Trump administration previously announced it would eliminate its environmental justice program, which focused on air pollution in economically disadvantaged areas, particularly along the Gulf Coast’s “cancer alley.”

EPA also is creating the Office of Clean Air Programs that “will align statutory obligations and mission-essential functions based on centers of expertise to ensure more transparency and harmony in regulatory development.”  

Other changes include the creation of the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions in the Office of the Administrator to align research and “put science at the forefront of the agency’s rulemakings and technical assistance to states.”

The administration and the American Chemistry Council claim Biden-era regulations failed to follow sound science, while critics counter that these changes simply favor industry interests.

The administration also announced changes to the Office of Water to “better align the development of regulations, guidance and policy with the science that underpins it.”

The restructuring is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to revamp the agency, which will save taxpayers $350 million taxpayers annually by 2026, Zeldin said. The cuts will bring the agency in line with Reagan-era staffing levels, he added. 

Following the restructuring announcement, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issued a statement saying the moves will jeopardize independent research designed to protect the public. 

"EPA’s Research and Development Office produces independent science that’s used to keep people safe from pollution and chemical exposure," said Chitra Kumar, the managing director of the Climate and Clean Energy Program at UCS and the former director of the Office of Policy, Partnerships, and Program Development in the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. "Industry doesn’t always like what’s coming out of this office, and I believe that’s why it was put on the chopping block."

Kumar added that the Office of Research and Development is intentionally separate from EPA’s policy offices to ensure it produces unbiased studies. 

"Moving ORD scientists into policy offices could subject those experts to political influence, particularly in this administration," she said.

ACC issued a statement backing the moves, saying, “ACC supports EPA evaluating its resources to ensure American taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and effectively to meet the Agency’s statutory requirements. If necessary, that includes shifting resources to critical programs such as EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention  and Office of Pesticide Programs."  

See Zeldin's full video statement below.