EPA Starts Process For Staff Firings In EJ Office, Amid Broader RIF Fears

EPA has formally notified the agency’s civil rights office, as well as regional environmental justice (EJ) divisions, of agency plans to conduct a “reduction in force” (RIF) of agency staff, justifying the move as in line with Trump administration executive orders targeting diversity programs and directing workforce “optimization.” While the notification, in the form of an April 21 memorandum , offers confirmation of widely expected efforts to target EJ-related activities, a former EPA official tells Inside EPA the effort...