Tag

#EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency — the federal agency responsible for enforcing environmental laws. Incidents involve EPA budget cuts, rollback of environmental regulations, and elimination of enforcement actions protecting public health.

4 incidents

Updated March 25, 2026 Federal Dismantlement
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing

Systematic Destruction of Environmental Protections — Paris Agreement, UNFCCC, and Endangerment Finding

An unprecedented withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, UNFCCC, and IPCC, combined with the rescission of the endangerment finding and rollback of 31+ environmental rules, constitutes the most comprehensive destruction of environmental protections in US history. The actions remove the world's largest historical emitter from the international climate framework while eliminating domestic regulation of greenhouse gases.

Sources
8
Paris AgreementUNFCCCIPCCclimate changeEPA
Updated July 5, 2018 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Major Abuse of Power

Scott Pruitt: EPA Corruption, Tactical Security Detail, and Regulatory Rollbacks

Pruitt's tenure combined serious corruption with aggressive deregulation — two goals that reinforced each other. His 24/7 security detail, which EPA Inspector General reports found was not justified by credible threats, cost taxpayers approximately $3.5 million in his 17 months at the agency. He flew first-class on domestic flights, claiming security concerns, while his own security detail said coach was adequate. He rented a condo from the wife of a lobbyist — at $50/night — while her clients' matters were pending before the EPA. He granted unprecedented raises to two staff members through CAA authority after the White House had denied the raises. He was ultimately undone by the accumulation of scandal but had already implemented dozens of deregulatory actions.

Sources
4
PruittEPAcorruptionfirst-termenvironment
Updated December 1, 2020 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Environmental Deregulation: 100+ Rules Rolled Back Across Four Years

The administration's approach was systematic: identify Obama-era environmental regulations, determine legal and administrative mechanisms for reversal, and implement reversals. The rollbacks covered air quality, water quality, climate, wildlife, and chemical safety. The vehicle emissions standards rollback was estimated to add approximately one billion tons of additional carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2035. Courts overturned many of the rollbacks, finding procedural defects. The Biden administration reversed the majority of the remaining reversals. The cumulative effect on environmental law precedent and the transition costs of the repeated changes were lasting.

Sources
4
environmentderegulationclimateEPAfirst-term
Updated July 5, 2018 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Major Abuse of Power

Scott Pruitt's EPA Corruption: First-Class Travel, Condo Deal, Sweetheart Favors

Pruitt's EPA tenure was defined by serial self-dealing: he flew first-class and chartered government planes citing 'security threats' that his own security detail denied, leased a Capitol Hill condo for $50/night from the wife of an energy lobbyist (when the EPA was processing that lobbyist's clients' cases), directed his security detail to run personal errands and sourced a used mattress from Trump International Hotel, and asked his scheduler to seek Chick-fil-A franchise opportunities for his wife. He resigned in July 2018 as 14 separate federal ethics investigations were underway.

Sources
4
corruptionEPAPruittethicsfirst-term