The Big Story 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put more than 160 workers who tackle pollution in overburdened communities on leave.

© Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press file

The employees were part of the agency’s Office of Environmental Justice, which sought to help people in areas with significant levels of pollution — including minority neighborhoods. 

EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou confirmed 168 staff members in the office were placed on leave since “their function did not relate to the agency’s statutory duties or grant work.”

Vaseliou also cited President Trump’s executive order that directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff to be put on leave and said the EPA is “in the process of evaluating new structure and organization to ensure we are meeting our mission of protecting human health and the environment for all Americans.”

In addition to the suspensions, a tool known as EJScreen, which showed how pollution data intersected with demographic and income data, was offline as of Friday.

Studies, including those conducted by the EPA in the past, have found that Black Americans in particular face high levels of pollution, and the disparities they face are even more pronounced than disparities faced by the poor. 

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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• The House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a hearing titled "Oversight Hearing on Restoring Energy Dominance: The Path to Unleashing American Offshore Energy."
  
  

• The House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a hearing titled "Restoring Multiple Use to Revitalize Americas Public Lands and Rural Communities."
  
  

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