Trump administration expected to put EPA environmental justice and civil rights workers on

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Environmental Protection Agency employees who work in the environmental justice and civil rights office expect a new round of paid leave notices that will impact even more federal workers, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

At an all-staff meeting Wednesday with employees from the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, agency leadership told employees that it will be enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion in the division. The executive order calls for the termination of “environmental justice offices and positions.”

Agency leadership told employees the order would be implemented much like it was in the agency’s DEI office, two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told CNN. That office was shuttered and the employees placed on paid administrative leave two weeks ago.

Employees in the environmental justice and civil rights office expect to receive formal written notification of paid leave in the coming days, according to the sources.

It is unclear exactly how many individuals would be impacted. Roughly 200 federal employees work in this division of the EPA.

One of the two unions that represent EPA employees said more than 100 employees may be impacted. “If more than 100 EPA employees are placed on administrative leave tomorrow, it will be unprecedented in scope and scale. We have not experienced anything like that in the 34 years I’ve been at this agency,” said Nicole Cantello, president of AFGE local 704, a union that represents EPA employees.

Trump administration officials have said they consider environmental justice programs to be DEI initiatives. But many workers disagree.

The agency’s environmental justice programs are meant to ensure federal agency policies, grants and initiatives protect underserved communities from experiencing disproportionately negative health and environmental impacts from factors like pollution and climate change. This division was tasked with carrying out the Biden administration’s Justice 40 initiative that ensured federal funding for things like tackling the climate crisis were distributed equitably, including to underserved communities.

The EPA told CNN on Wednesday that no employees had been put on administrative leave but did not respond to additional questions.