The Brian Lehrer Show How EPA Cuts Are Affecting NYC
May 6, 2025
Mariana Simões, an investigative journalist for City Limits focused on climate and environmental issues, dives into how cuts at the EPA are impacting environmental justice in NYC. She discusses the rescinding of crucial policies affecting marginalized communities and highlights the repercussions of staff reductions in the Environmental Justice Division. Simões also explores environmental struggles facing residents in the South Bronx and emphasizes the important role of youth in advocating for change, especially amid policy shifts favoring fossil fuels.
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Trump's Environmental Justice Rollbacks
- President Trump rescinded multiple executive orders on environmental justice on his first day in office, including those targeting underserved and minority communities.
- His administration aimed to terminate federal environmental justice offices and evaluate eliminating such programs.
EPA Helps Bronx Cleanup Efforts
- The EPA intervened in South Bronx to press the state DEC to clean a contaminated site next to a community garden.
- This federal push led to the state agreeing to assess and meet the community after prolonged local inaction.
Environmental Justice Explained
- Environmental justice aims to address disproportionate environmental harm in marginalized communities, not special rights.
- Opposition often misframes it as unfair advantage when it seeks equal protection and inclusion.