EPA Marks One Year of Applied Science Office, Citing Cleanup and Water Milestones
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on October 20 marked one year of its Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions (OASES), the office stood up during the agency's reorganization to put scientists at the center of the agency.
EPA said that since January 2025 it has cut costs across grants, contracts, staffing, real estate, technology and travel, including $30 billion in canceled grants, roughly $825 million a year in reduced contracting obligations and about $750 million a year from staffing efficiencies and reorganization. At the same time, the agency added more than 130 scientific and technical experts to clear chemical and pesticide review backlogs, and created a one-stop Office of Finance and Administration.
In an accomplishments summary released on October 16, EPA said that since January 20, 2025, it has treated approximately 1.2 billion gallons of drinking water for PFAS, reduced, treated or eliminated 97.5 million pounds of pollution, and cleared more than 13,000 properties after the Los Angeles wildfires so families could return home. The agency has also made $6.5 billion available through the WIFIA water infrastructure program, alongside billions more to cut lead and PFAS in drinking water. "Behind every one of these wins is a community with cleaner water, cleaner air, and cleaner land," said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. "That's the mission, and we're delivering on it every single day for Americans across the country."
EPA said it has marked its milestones with 100 pro-environment actions in the first 100 days, 500 by the one-year mark and 100 more by day 600, and that its Superfund Solutions initiative, launched in May 2026, is focused on getting contaminated sites to the finish line faster.
(Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿 Pennsylvania 大道1200号的环保署（EPA）总部大楼标识。Wikimedia Commons（CC BY 4.0），自托管
