In a sweeping overhaul of environmental policy, former President Donald Trump has fundamentally reshaped the Environmental Protection Agency during his return to office, initiating close to seventy distinct actions aimed at dismantling rules designed to protect ecosystems and combat climate change.
A Comprehensive Assault on Environmental Protections
Experts have characterised the administration's approach as a "war on all fronts" against public health and environmental safety. The agency's wide-ranging deregulatory agenda poses significant risks to air and water quality, increases exposure to harmful chemicals, and exacerbates global warming, according to analysis shared with The Guardian.
Matthew Tejada, former director of the EPA's environmental justice program and now senior vice-president of environmental health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, stated: "It is an attempt to completely eliminate the EPA and just leave a symbolic husk."
Since January of last year, Trump's EPA has launched sixty-six actions to roll back or weaken environmental regulations – a staggering rate exceeding one per week. These moves range from issuing exemptions for polluters to shuttering research offices and initiating efforts to repeal the legal foundation underpinning most US climate regulations.
Four Critical Areas of Impact
Despite federal officials repeatedly pledging to return the agency to its "core mission" of protecting environment and human health, critics argue the EPA has effectively abandoned this mandate. Jeremy Symons, a former EPA policy adviser, remarked: "The Environmental Protection Agency is now the Environmental Pollution Agency, helping polluters at the expense of human health."
An EPA spokesperson defended the administration's approach, stating: "Unlike the climate zealots, the Trump EPA knows we can [implement] economy-crushing regulations that make Americans poorer while also fulfilling our statutory obligation to protect human health and the environment."
Air Quality Under Threat
Recent EPA actions may expose Americans to significantly dirtier air, according to environmental experts. In March, officials invited polluting facilities to seek toxic pollutant exemptions under the Clean Air Act through simple email requests.
The Union of Concerned Scientists found last month that Trump's EPA offered two-year exemptions to Clean Air Act pollution standards to over a third of all domestic coal plants, chemical manufacturers, and other highly toxic facilities.
In a particularly controversial move this month, the agency ceased estimating the monetary value of lives saved when restricting fine particulate matter and ozone – two of the deadliest air pollutants – calculating only costs to companies instead.
Tejada commented: "They're ripping the pendulum out of the clock and telling people what time it is," referring to what he sees as a fundamental departure from normal regulatory fluctuations between administrations.
An EPA spokesperson countered that air pollution has "already dropped so dramatically that older tools can't accurately measure today's smaller risks," adding that America's air is "the cleanest it's been in decades."
Water Safety Compromised
Trump's EPA will also imperil water quality, experts warn. In March, the agency announced plans to narrow the definition of waterways protected under the Clean Water Act, potentially easing restrictions on runoff from agriculture, mining, and petrochemical operations.
Under EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, the agency has moved to rescind or reconsider federal limits on PFAS – persistent "forever chemicals" linked to cancer, immune dysfunction, and developmental harm. In May, officials proposed repealing four of six national drinking water standards for these contaminants.
Millions of Americans rely on water systems that have shown PFAS levels previously deemed unsafe by EPA administrations, according to Tejada.
An EPA spokesperson claimed the agency narrowed the Clean Water Act definition to align with Supreme Court precedent, while defending extended compliance deadlines as necessary for utilities to "plan investments, keep the lights on, and still meet tough limits on toxic discharges."
Chemical Regulations Weakened
The EPA has worked to loosen restrictions on toxic compounds, raising concerns about former chemical industry executives Trump appointed to lead the agency's chemical safety efforts.
The agency plans to cancel $40 million in grants for scientists studying toxic hazards to children in rural America, including pesticides and potential food contaminants. It is also moving to revise rules for evaluating chemical risks under the Toxic Substances Control Act, narrowing evaluations to specific uses rather than all potential exposures.
Adam Finkel, former member of the EPA Science Advisory Board and professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, stated: "They are systematically going after evidence-based sound science. It's an agency gone rogue."
EPA has additionally moved to deregulate chemicals like formaldehyde, a carcinogen used in industrial resins and particleboard, and is weakening restrictions on methylene chloride used in adhesives and paint removers.
Climate Protections Dismantled
EPA actions during Trump's second term are poised to sharply increase greenhouse gas emissions, environmental experts warn. In its most audacious move of 2025, the agency proposed repealing the 2009 endangerment finding – the legal foundation for all federal climate regulations.
Expected to be finalised soon, this rollback would effectively erase all federal climate rules simultaneously. Tejada remarked: "The endangerment finding is the foundation for us to do anything about the climate crisis, and they are going after that foundation with a sledgehammer."
On the same day, Zeldin announced plans to repeal limits on carbon dioxide from vehicles – the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Last month, EPA also began the process of drastically weakening fuel economy requirements for new vehicles.
In the power sector, the agency is moving to gut or repeal rules on coal- and gas-fired power plants, which account for nearly a quarter of domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has scrubbed climate-focused language from federal websites and shuttered offices responsible for climate research.
Olivia Guarna, climate justice fellow at Columbia University's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, observed: "The deregulatory action, the staff shrinkage, the reduction in research activities, all of these things add together. It amounts to rolling back the ability for EPA to carry out its duties."
