They Got U.S. Cleaner Air and Water. Now This Administration Is Driving Them Away.

For more than half a century, scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency have quietly protected Americans from invisible but deadly threats — lead in drinking water, toxic air pollution, and “forever chemicals” in our homes and schools. Their discoveries have saved countless lives, guided public policy, and helped hold powerful corporations accountable.

But now, that life-saving work is being dismantled at a time when that science is needed more than ever. This month, members of Congress reported that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin plans to shut down the Office of Research and Development, or ORD, in March and reassign its scientists to undefined parts of the agency. For an administration that claims it wants to “Make America Healthy Again,” eliminating a uniquely important source of independent health research is completely at odds with that goal.

To understand why this matters, it is important to understand what ORD actually does.

Essential Health Research Is Being Eliminated

If EPA’s mission is to protect public health and the environment, its ORD division is how the agency figures out how best to do that. ORD is where the science happens. It is where researchers identify new threats and provide the evidence regulators need to stop toxic pollution from the source. It is also how EPA supports communities when crises happen. When PFAS contaminated the drinking water of Wilmington, NC, residents, ORD researchers provided technical assistance with water sampling and treatment to make the water safe again. And when the water in Flint, MI became contaminated with lead, ORD supported the local community with testing and water treatment improvements, helping put Flint on the path to recovery.

Because of ORD, we know that even small amounts of lead can permanently harm children’s brains, that toxic exposures during pregnancy damage development, and that forever chemicals contaminate drinking water nationwide. Its science was the key to safer lead standards, the ban on leaded gasoline in cars, air pollution laws, and a massive reduction in children’s exposure to dangerous chemicals, as well as the knowledge that empowers communities to fight for cleaner water. Without this research, those wins begin to unravel.

Corporations Benefit While We Pay With Our Health

When independent government research disappears, communities pay through higher rates of asthma, cancer, and learning disabilities; conditions already on the rise. Medical bills increase. Missed workdays multiply. Children struggle in school. Seniors face higher risks of hospitalization. At the same time, corporations face fewer questions and fewer consequences.

By weakening ORD, this administration is weakening the very system that holds corporations accountable, and that is by design. Without ORD, EPA will not be able to identify emerging issues that threaten people’s health, allowing corporations to pollute unchecked. ORD sounded the alarm over the widespread presence of PFAS (also known as forever chemicals) in drinking water across the country, which has led to extensive efforts to ban these chemicals. ORD scientists have also done extensive research to support the cleanup of the Great Lakes, which supply water to millions of people. Their work has contributed to a clearer understanding of the sources of contamination and new policies that have resulted in massive cuts to industrial pollution. Without ORD research, EPA and communities across the U.S. would lack the information they need to push back against polluters.

No Alternative but Bad Alternatives

Facing criticism, the EPA seems to justify this move by pointing to a new Office of Applied Sciences and Environmental Solutions, or OASES. According to the agency, this office will focus on “immediate needs” and practical applications. But replacing long-term, independent research with short-term problem-solving is not a solution. It is a downgrade.

With about one-third of ORD’s staff, OASES lacks the resources, authority, and independence needed to continue this work. After decades of building scientific expertise, this restructuring discards institutional knowledge at a moment when Americans across the political spectrum want answers about toxic chemicals and how to keep their families safe from toxic chemicals in air, food, and water.

Congress Has the Power to Save ORD’s Vital Research

But this dismantling is not inevitable. Federal law requires the EPA to maintain staffing levels necessary to fulfill its mission. Congress also made clear in its last funding legislation that the agency may not close offices, reassign large numbers of staff, or reprogram funds without advance approval. That means Congress has the power, and the responsibility, to intervene.

By denying permission to dismantle ORD, lawmakers can preserve a world-class research institution and the life-saving work it performs. Because what is at stake is not just a federal office or a budget line. It is the future of environmental health, scientific integrity, and the basic promise that government should protect people’s health over corporate profit.