Federal enforcement of environmental laws has slowed significantly under President Trump.
Since Trump took office, the Department of Justice has not initiated any new cases for major breaches of environmental law, according to a Grist analysis of publicly available data and press releases.
A spokesperson told Grist the administration is “committed to enforcing all aspects of the law from inspection to informal and formal administrative and judicial actions.” But when asked for examples of new judicial cases, the spokesperson shared cases initiated, investigated, and litigated under Biden but closed under Trump.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also ramped down enforcement of minor violations, which are handled as civil cases and typically end in a settlement. Under Trump, the agency has filed or closed roughly 100 fewer civil cases per month than during the last fiscal year of the Biden administration, the analysis found.
“Things are definitely slower,” an enforcement official told Grist. “Even the settlements happening now were mostly done under Biden.”
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