The agency says changes will save at least $300 million a year, focus agency on “core mission.”
The Environmental Protection Agency will save $300 million per year through a massive reorganization by completely slashing unnecessary climate programs and reducing staffing levels to levels not seen since the Reagan administration, the agency announced Friday.
Administrator Lee Zeldin said the streamlined reorganization is oriented towards focusing on the agency’s “core mission,” which he defines as “protecting human health and the environment.” Rather than focusing on environmental justice, it will focus on its statutory responsibilities such as air quality and safety of the water supply.
“With these organizational improvements, we recommit to fulfilling all of our statutory obligations and exceptionally delivering on EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment,” said Zeldin. “This reorganization will bring much needed efficiencies to incorporate science into our rule makings and sharply focus our work on providing the cleanest air, land, and water for our communities. It will also save at least $300 million annually for the American people.”
A source familiar with the restructuring told The Daily Wire that the reorganization could lead to future cuts amounting to around 10% of the current workforce. In the ongoing round of the Deferred Resignation Program, better known as the “fork in the road” option for federal employees to leave government, there has been significant interest.
The agency has already received about 1,300 applications to leave, a source told The Daily Wire. The first “fork in the road” offer months ago yielded around 545 early resignations.