About 89 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) workforce was slated to be furloughed as the government shuts down, according to contingency plans that were posted online this week.

According to the plan, just 1,734 of the EPA’s 15,166 employees are slated to continue working during the shutdown, which began Wednesday.

The plan also gives a window into the degree of staffing losses at the EPA in recent months, as the agency had 17,080 employees at the start of the year.

During the furlough period, the agency will no longer carry out most civil inspections related to potential violations of environmental law.

It will also no longer conduct most of its research or issue new permits or grants. Some hazardous waste cleanup will be halted if there is no imminent threat to

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