Scientific American, 6 May 2025

EPA Reorganization Signals End to Climate Work

Under President Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate offices that track greenhouse gas emissions and regulate air pollution.

EPA is getting rid of the two offices that are primarily responsible for regulating climate and air pollution.

The move to eliminate the Office of Atmospheric Protection (OAP) and Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) by the end of the fiscal year signals a likely end to much of the agency’s climate work. EPA political appointees announced the reorganization plan during a Friday town hall with employees of the Office of Air and Radiation, which houses both OAP and OAQPS.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will likely move programs to curb smog, soot and toxic emissions into other offices. But most of OAP’s work seems destined for the dust bin — including a program that requires the country’s biggest polluters to report their greenhouse gas emissions.