In the first eight months of President Donald Trump’s return to office, the Justice Department initiated only nine major civil cases against polluters on behalf of the EPA, down from 46 civil lawsuits in the same time frame under President Joe Biden, according to an analysis by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), a watchdog group. The drop in EPA enforcement cases marks a sharp departure from Trump’s first term, when the department brought 53 cases in the same time frame.

The shiftin enforcement, together with the shutdown furloughs, showsthe extent to which the Trump administration has reoriented the agency toward promoting economic growth.

“We’ve been intentional and aggressive in establishing a structure to ensure EPA is focused on statutory obligations and Presidential priorit

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