Home / Environment / Polluters Poised to Exploit EPA Shutdown, Experts Warn
Polluters Poised to Exploit EPA Shutdown, Experts Warn
1 Oct
Summary
- EPA facing massive staff and funding cuts under Trump
- Shutdown could allow polluters to dump toxic waste unchecked
- Scientific study found power plants increased pollution during 2018-19 shutdown
In the lead-up to October 1st, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is bracing for the impact of a potential government shutdown. The agency has already been reeling from dramatic shifts in priority and policy under the Trump administration, which has leaned heavily into an agenda of deregulation and boosting fossil fuels.
Experts are now raising alarms that a shutdown could exacerbate the EPA's diminished capacity to protect the environment and public health. Jeremy Symons, a former EPA policy official, warns that the "worst polluters" may see the shutdown as an opportunity to dump toxic pollution without fear of accountability. A scientific study found that during the 2018-2019 government shutdown, coal-fired power plants "significantly increased their particulate matter emissions" due to the EPA's furlough.
The EPA's shutdown contingency plan indicates that the agency will be forced to halt non-criminal pollution inspections, stop issuing new grants and permits, and scale back Superfund cleanup efforts. This could have immediate consequences for communities, as the EPA's hotlines for reporting water and pollution issues are also likely to be closed.
As the EPA's founding mission of safeguarding America's health and environment hangs in the balance, the agency's uncertain future raises grave concerns about the potential for unchecked pollution and environmental degradation in the months ahead.
