Listen to the story here. By Kathryn Carley, February 13, 2025 The Trump administration has begun dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency’s office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority and low-income communities. More than 160 staffers in the Office of Environmental Justice and Civil Rights have been placed on paid administrative leave. Adrienne Hollis, vice president of environmental justice, health and community resilience and […]
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection defines environmental justice as “the right to be protected from environmental pollution and to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful environment regardless of ancestry, class, disability, ethnicity, income, national origin, or religion.” (Adobe Stock)
The Trump administration has begun dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency’s office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority and low-income communities.
More than 160 staffers in the Office of Environmental Justice and Civil Rights have been placed on paid administrative leave.
Adrienne Hollis, vice president of environmental justice, health and community resilience and revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation, said the office is critical to coordinating environmental protection efforts in Maine and elsewhere.
“Some communities may file a complaint about the fact that, given the contamination they’re exposed to, there may be issues that violate the civil rights act,” Hollis pointed out. “Just as the air group, you need a focal point.”
The office was first created by former President George H.W. Bush in 1992. Since 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency has conducted more than 300 reviews of civil rights compliance.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order working to disband environmental justice offices across the federal government. The administration has also taken down a decades-old tool to track environmental burdens across the country.
Hollis noted some of the most vulnerable communities will be the most negatively affected by federal cuts.
“It’s going to affect the ability of communities and advocates and activists to really focus on these specific environmental outcomes that are related to systemic racism,” Hollis explained. “They’re place-based, they’re based on race, and they’re exacerbated by climate change.”
All environmental litigations in the Justice Department have also been put on hold. The administration said it is following through on promises Trump made during the presidential campaign to whittle down the size of the federal government.
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