Sponsors
The bill shifts federal environmental regulatory authority away from the EPA while providing multi-year block grants and oversight to states and territories — trading a central federal regulatory system (and its nationwide protections) for state-managed funding and flexibility, with substantial risks of higher pollution and shifted costs to states, localities, and vulnerable communities.
State and local environmental agencies receive $4.4 billion per year (FY2026–FY2029) to support drinking water protection, remediation, air quality, hazardous waste, chemical emergency response, and radiation protection, enabling more local action on pollution and public health risks.
States get predictable, population-based block grants so funding is distributed proportionally and can be planned for multi-year programs and budgeting.
Taxpayers and the public gain independent, regular oversight through annual GAO reports, improving transparency and accountability of how the law and funds are implemented.
All Americans — especially urban and rural communities, people with disabilities, and households served by public water systems — would face higher pollution and drinking-water contamination risks if the EPA and its federal standards and enforcement are eliminated.
Low-income and minority communities near pollution sources risk disproportionate harm from the loss of environmental justice protections and federal enforcement.
Removing EPA enforcement and federal cleanup roles could leave hazardous sites unaddressed or shift costly remediation to local governments and low-income communities.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Abolishes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 270 days after enactment and shifts responsibility for major federal environmental programs to states through a population-based block grant program. The Treasury will distribute $4.4 billion per year for FY2026–FY2029 to states, territories, and DC to run core programs (air, water, waste, chemical emergency response, radiation, and contaminated site cleanup) under state-designated environmental departments with audit and repayment conditions; the Government Accountability Office will perform annual implementation reviews for FY2026–FY2029.
Abolishes the EPA after 270 days and creates population-based block grants to states ($4.4B/year for FY2026–FY2029) to run core environmental programs.
Introduced May 13, 2025 by Clay Higgins · Last progress May 13, 2025