The EPA informed staff that it would no longer oppose the Pebble Mine project in Alaska, disregarding previous EPA studies

EDGI report shows that the EPA reclassified its research categories on its website to remove the climate change group.

EDGI report shows that EPA changed its website to downplay the impact of climate change on the heat island effect.

EPA announced that it will no longer participate in the Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Program. Established by EPA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in 1998, the program funds 13 research centers, which “explore ways to reduce children’s health risks from environmental factors.”

EPA officials ignored the advice of agency scientists when developing new rules with respect to the use of asbestos. The scientists argued that all new uses of asbestos should be banned “because the extreme harm from this chemical substance outweighs any benefit.” That argument, however, rejected by officials.

The Trump administration’s FY2020 budget proposes to cut EPA funding by 31.2% (compared to FY2019 levels), and eliminate a number of the agency’s research and education programs, including the Climate Change Research Program and the Environmental Education Program.

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs deleted several references to “climate change” from an EPA guidance document titled “Planning for Natural Disaster Debris.” The deleted references highlighted the link between climate change and extreme weather events.

The Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Water erroneously claimed that no data was available showing the number of streams that would be excluded from the new definition of “waters of the United States” proposed by EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Internal EPA documents show that agency staff had conducted a detailed analysis and determined that at least 18% of streams and 51% of wetlands nationwide would be excluded from the new definition.

EPA staff have been prevented from updating an agency website, titled “Climate Change Indicators in the United States,” which is intended to “compile a key set of indicators related to the causes and effects of climate change.” During the Obama Administration, new indicators were added to the website every six months, but no updates have been made since President Trump took office.

EPA published a draft “Air and Energy Strategic Research Action Plan” identifying research needed to address its “strategic objectives and mandates to improve air quality.” Unlike previous versions adopted during the Obama administration, the Action Plan does not list climate change preparation as a “research objective.”

EPA announced that it was disbanding the particulate matter review panel. The panel has historically provided advice to EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee on the need for changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter.

The White House Office of Management and Budget removed several paragraphs discussing climate change and its impact on human health from a proposed EPA rule. The removed paragraphs emphasized the particular vulnerability of “children, the elderly, and the poor . . . to climate-related health effects.”

EPA is reportedly planning to close its Office of the Science Advisor. According to its website, the office is responsible for “science policy development and implementation” at EPA, and aims to “ensure that the highest quality science is better integrated into the Agency’s policies and decisions.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget removed several paragraphs discussing climate change and its impact on human health from EPA’s regulatory impact analysis on the proposed Affordable Clean Energy Rule.

Staff in EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program were forced to stop work on chemical risk assessments after agency officials commenced a review of the program’s priorities. 28 of IRIS’s 30 staff were subsequently directed to spend 25 to 50 percent of their time working with EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention.

Officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) cancelled a project to assess air pollution in the Houston area following Hurricane Harvey. The cancellation was ordered by the director of NASA’s Earth Science Division after officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality expressed concern that NASA’s project would “overlap with . . . existing efforts” to monitor pollution and would not be “useful.”

EPA issued a new organizational chart which omitted any reference to the Office of Children’s Health Protection (OCHP). The Director of OCHP, Dr. Ruth Etzel, was subsequently placed on administrative leave without explanation. This followed several months of what Dr. Etzel described as “guerrilla warefare,” being waged by top EPA leaders, as part of an effort to “disappear” OCHP.

Senior EPA officials reported sought to block release of a scientific study discussing the health hazards posed by formaldehyde.

EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) announced that it was disbanding three sub-committees — the Ecological Processes and Effects Committee, Environmental Engineering Committee, and Environmental Economics Advisory Committee — “[o]n the recommendation of the SAB Staff Office.”

A political appointee at EPA — the Deputy Director for Public Affairs John Konkus — ordered the cancellation of at least four grants for research on climate change and related topics.

EPA officials ordered staff in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program not to release human health toxicity assessments prepared for chemicals. Staff were told they could only release chemical assessments that had been specifically requested by the leadership of an EPA program office. Program office leaders were subsequently told to limit their assessment requests to “no more than three to four chemicals.”

White House and EPA officials sought to block publication of HHS study on the health effects of water contamination due to concerns that it would be a “public relations nightmare.”

President Trump signed a memorandum directing the EPA Administrator to make changes to certain air pollution programs. The changes have implications for the use of science in developing and implementing air pollution protections.

EPA officials ignored the advice of agency scientists when determining whether a county in Wisconsin met federal air quality standards for ozone. Agency scientists had recommended that the county be classified as a “nonattainment” area but, after lobbying by then-Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, EPA decided to classify the area as “in attainment” with the ozone standards. At the time, the scientists indicated that there was no “sound technical basis” for the ruling.

EPA’s Office of Public Affairs issued a set of approved talking points on climate change. The talking points appear to be intended to cast doubt on the scientific consensus on climate change, with one stating “[w]hile there has been extensive research . . . clear gaps remain,” including in “our understanding of the role of human activity” in contributing to climate change.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced a so-called “science transparency policy” that would prevent studies based on non-public scientific data being used in agency rulemakings.

EPA scientists were warned against participating in a survey on scientific integrity within the federal government. An email containing a link to the survey was classified as spam “stemming from an unknown entity” by EPA’s Computer Security Incident Response Center, despite those running the survey providing advance notice to that it would be sent.

As of March 2018, EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) had not met in at least six months, leading to concerns among members that EPA is trying to sideline the board. According to members, ordinarily, the SAB would have multiple interactions (including in-person meetings and teleconferences) during any six month period.

EPA’s National Center for Environmental Research, which distributes grants for research on the effects of chemical exposure, will be eliminated as part of an agency reorganization involving the merger of three research offices.

The Trump administration’s FY2019 budget proposes to cut EPA funding by 33.7% (compared to FY2017 levels), and eliminate a number of the agency’s research and education programs, including the Climate Change Research and Partnership Program and the Environmental Education Program.

In an interview on a Nevada television station, EPA Administrator misrepresented climate research indicating that rising temperatures will have widespread negative impacts, suggesting that they could actually be positive.

In a letter to Senator Tom Udall, EPA misrepresented the findings of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee, in relation to the need to delay certain provisions of the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard.

Over 200 scientists left EPA in 2017, most of whom have not been replaced. Over the course of 2017, EPA hired just 7 scientists.

EPA proposed to repeal emissions standards for freight trucks based on research funded by the biggest truck manufacturer challenging the standards.

EPA announced that scientists receiving agency grants would not longer be able to serve on its advisory boards.

EPA cancelled talks by 3 scientists who were scheduled to discuss climate change at a conference on the state of the Narragansett Bay.

EPA rewrote certain chemical rules against the advice of agency scientists who warned that the changes may result in an “underestimation of the [chemicals’] potential risks to human health and the environment”

Between October and December 2017, EPA made various changes to its International Cooperation website, including removing information about climate change.

Multiple links to materials aimed at helping local government officials adapt to climate change were removed from EPA’s website.

Agents in EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division were reassigned to Administrator Pruitt’s security detail, forcing them to suspend investigation of climate crimes.

A section on climate science was deleted from the website of EPA’s “SmartWay” program and other sections were amended to remove references to “climate change” and related terms.

EPA announced that it will require new and certain existing grants to be approved by a political appointee, who has told staff he is looking for references to “climate change.”

EPA staff have been directed to prioritize industry requests for changes to environmental regulations. Many of the requested changes are contrary to agency scientific research.

EPA reassigned four staffers in the policy office, who had previously worked on climate change adaptation.

An intern in EPA’s communications office was instructed by co-workers not to mention “climate change” or “going green” in tweets.

EPA reallocated staff from the climate change division and climate protection partnership division to other areas.

The Trump administration’s FY2018 budget proposes to cut funding for EPA climate and environmental research programs by 39% or $438 million.

EPA dismissed at least five academics serving on its scientific review board and indicated that it may replace them with industry representatives.

EPA buried a webpage intended to educate school children about climate change, removing a link to the page from an archived version of its website.

EPA denied a petition to ban Chlorpyrifos, a chemical widely used as a pesticide, against the advice of top agency scientists who had warned that exposure exceeds safe levels in many areas.

The chair of EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors was pressured to change her testimony before Congress to downplay the Trump administration’s decision not to reappoint half of the board’s members.

EPA’s climate change website was removed and replaced with a message indicating that it is being updated to reflect the agency’s priorities under President Trump.

An EPA scientist was warned not to speak on climate change at public-facing events or to have such events approved by headquarters in advance.

In an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt misrepresented climate science, suggesting that scientists have not established that greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause of climate change.

References to EPA’s Office of Science and Technology policy developing “science-based standards” were changed to read “economically and technologically achievable standards.”

Half of the 34 EPA staffers scheduled to attend the Alaska Forum on the Environment were told they could no longer attend the event.

EPA staff received an email warning them that, while they are free to speak publicly, doing so presents risks.

The head of communications for the EPA transition team indicated that agency scientists would be required to have their research reviewed before publication.

On December 20, 2017, Trump administration official ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend all research grants.

EPA staff amended internal program documents to replace “climate change” with “climate resiliency” in an effort to prevent program cuts.

EPA staffers are being frozen out of decision-making in their areas of expertise, with political appointees making decisions instead.

EPA’s “Climate Ready Water Utilities” program was renamed the “Creating Resilient Water Utilities” program and several references to “climate change” and “climate science” were removed from its website.