Trump EPA Initiated Record Low Legal Actions Against Polluters, Report Claims
A report by the watchdog group Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) indicates that the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a record low number of legal actions against polluters compared to previous administrations. The EIP's analysis, based on court records, found only 16 legal actions were taken on the EPA's behalf by the Department of Justice in 2025.
The Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a record low number of legal actions against polluters compared to previous administrations.
Key Findings from the EIP Report
The EIP's analysis highlights a significant downturn in enforcement:
- The 16 legal actions represent an 87% decrease compared to Obama's second term's first year, a 76% decrease from Biden's first year, and an 81% decrease from the first year of Trump's first term in 2017.
- A contributing factor noted is a reduction in available government attorneys in the Justice Department's environment division, with at least a third reportedly having left in the past year.
- Administrative penalties against polluters also decreased, with $41 million imposed through September. This amount is lower, when adjusted for inflation, than the same period in Biden's first year and the first Trump administration.
EPA Responds to Claims
EPA press secretary Brigit Hirsch stated that the agency is committed to its core mission of providing clean air, land, and water.
Brigit Hirsch described the EIP report as "erroneous."
Hirsch indicated that the agency would publish figures showing more cases concluded in the first year of the Trump administration than in the Biden administration's last year. She emphasized a focus on "swift compliance" over what she termed "overzealous enforcement."
Context of Deregulation
The EIP's analysis is set against the backdrop of the Trump administration's emphasis on deregulation and reorganization. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to target numerous rules and policies, characterizing it as a significant deregulation effort.
Administrator Lee Zeldin characterized the plans as a "significant deregulation effort."
The administration's approach aims to reduce living costs, increase American energy production, and bring back auto jobs. Trump had previously referred to climate change as a "con job" and withdrawn the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Agreement.