Changes at the EPA:
A Virtual Workshop
for Journalists
OCtober 7-9
The Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources announces an online workshop for journalists that will explore the past, present and potential future of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
During his campaign for president in 2016, Donald Trump promised to abolish the EPA “in almost every form” and, indeed, his time in office has seen an unprecedented number of proposed rollbacks of environmental regulations and an equally unprecedented relaxation of enforcement during a global pandemic.
Not all of those changes will stick, however, as legal challenges pile up and environmental groups, states and even industry push back against the dismantling of rules like methane emission regulations and fuel efficiency standards.
Over the course of this three-day workshop, journalists heard from current and former EPA officials, state agencies, industry representatives, environmental historians and NGOs as we discussed what those changes look like in several communities, what a second term of the Trump Administration might mean for the agency and how a potential Biden Administration would change its direction.
Participants in the workshop engaged directly with experts, met citizens from communities impacted by EPA decisions and received training in online reporting tools for monitoring EPA regulations and enforcements in their coverage area.
Support for this workshop provided by the Walton Family Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and individual donors.
IJNR maintains editorial independence and control in all of its programming and decision-making.