States That Cut Environmental Agencies Face Crisis as Trump Deregulation Unfolds

"Since 2010, 27 states have slashed budgets and 31 have cut staff at their own public health and environmental agencies that partner with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), increasing the risk of industrial accidents and potentially exposing already vulnerable communities to levels of pollution not seen in decades, the report found. Collectively, states cut about $1.4 billion from their environmental agencies, or about 33 percent of the nation's spending on state-level environmental regulation, since 2010."

"Red states tended to see the most dramatic cuts to state environmental agencies over the past 15 years, particularly in the South and Midwest. But some blue states also adopted sizable cuts, with New York reducing agency funding over the same time period by 25 percent, while Connecticut reduced it by 51 percent. A handful of forward-looking states, including California, Vermont, and Colorado, are going in the opposite direction by investing in public health and climate initiatives."

Since 2010, 27 states reduced budgets and 31 reduced staff at public health and environmental agencies that partner with the EPA, weakening oversight capacity. Collectively, states cut about $1.4 billion, roughly 33 percent of national state-level environmental regulatory spending. Cuts were most dramatic in many red states across the South and Midwest, though some blue states such as New York and Connecticut also made large reductions. A few states, including California, Vermont, and Colorado, increased investments in public health and climate initiatives. Temporary Biden-era infrastructure and clean-energy funding boosted some budgets, but those resources are expected to decline under the Trump administration, leaving enforcement gaps and fewer on-the-ground inspectors to ensure compliance.

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