The Environmental Protection Agency in the Early Trump Administration: Prelude to Regulatory Capture (original) (raw)

This paper analyzes the significant transformations at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the early months of the Trump administration, characterizing these changes as a potential cause of regulatory capture. By leveraging interviews with EPA employees, public documents, and news articles, it outlines how the EPA's pro-business policies have diverged from its foundational mission to protect human and environmental health. The authors assert that current regulatory practices under Scott Pruitt not only break from previous administrations but also align more closely with the interests of regulated industries, posing serious risks to public health and environmental standards.