Civil Rights Groups Slam Trump’s EPA For Blocking Environmental Justice Efforts

To address historical injustices, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Joe Biden altered a little-known rule, enabling the swift processing of requests for records concerning polluters in marginalized Black and Brown neighborhoods. Advocates viewed this as a pivotal instrument for environmental justice, ensuring oversight. However, the Trump administration, which has consistently opposed initiatives promoting racial equity, has moved to retract this rule. Activists argue this alteration to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations will hinder access to crucial information on environmental threats, including polluted air and water. EPA spokesperson Carolyn Holran criticized the Biden-era regulation as part of a “wasteful” agenda, asserting the necessity to realign the agency’s focus on human health and ecological protection. While Politico Pro highlighted this regulatory shift, the FOIA provisions aimed at environmental justice remain on the EPA's site, leaving uncertainty about future formal processes. Tejada, a former EPA official, emphasized the repeal obscures transparency regarding potentially harmful projects affecting vulnerable communities.