WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it is eliminating its research and development arm and reducing agency staff by thousands of employees.
The agency’s Office of Research and Development has long provided the scientific underpinnings for EPA’s mission to protect the environment and human health. The EPA said in May it would shift its scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices that focus on major issues like air and water.
The agency said Friday it is creating a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions that will allow it to focus on research and science “more than ever before.”
Once fully implemented, the changes will save the EPA nearly $750 million, officials said.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement that the changes announced Friday would ensure the agency “is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and