Earthjustice Statement on Closure of EPA Environmental Justice and Civil Rights Office

Earthjustice issued a statement condemning the Trump administration's decision to close the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), which has placed 168 civil servants on administrative leave. Earthjustice Vice President Patrice Simms warns that the closure will result in worse health outcomes—including higher rates of cancer, asthma deaths, and heart attacks—and reduced economic opportunities for the most vulnerable communities in the United States.

• The Trump administration has announced plans to close the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), resulting in 168 civil servants being placed on administrative leave.
• The OEJECR's purpose was to analyze the causes and locations of discriminatory and harmful environmental conditions to ensure the most affected communities received protection and opportunities to improve their wellbeing.
• Patrice Simms, Earthjustice Vice President of Litigation for Healthy Communities, asserts that the elimination of the OEJECR will lead to increased asthma deaths, cancer rates, and heart attacks, as well as lost school and work days and diminished economic opportunities for vulnerable communities.

APA

Simms, P. (2025). Earthjustice Statement on Closure of EPA Environmental Justice and Civil Rights Office. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/earthjustice-statement-on-closure-of-epa-environmental-justice-and-civil-rights-office

Chicago

Simms, Patrice. Earthjustice Statement on Closure of EPA Environmental Justice and Civil Rights Office. Earthjustice, 2025. https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/earthjustice-statement-on-closure-of-epa-environmental-justice-and-civil-rights-office.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Simms |first1=Patrice |title=Earthjustice Statement on Closure of EPA Environmental Justice and Civil Rights Office |publisher=Earthjustice |date=7 February 2025 |url=https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/earthjustice-statement-on-closure-of-epa-environmental-justice-and-civil-rights-office |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{simms2025earthjustice, author = {Simms, Patrice}, title = {{Earthjustice Statement on Closure of EPA Environmental Justice and Civil Rights Office}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/earthjustice-statement-on-closure-of-epa-environmental-justice-and-civil-rights-office}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }