Lynn L. Bergeson, “What Does a Much Smaller Office of Research and Development Mean?,” Chemical Processing, August 18, 2025.

On July 18, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out the “reorganization plan” for its Office of Research and Development (ORD). The plan’s stated goal is to reduce budget expenditures, improve science, and have EPA’s research activities better support the work of EPA’s media offices.

The EPA press release refers to the reorganization effort as a continuation of “comprehensive restructuring” that includes a reduction in force (RIF) for the ORD and a subsequent savings of hundreds of millions of dollars. The release also announced the creation of a new EPA office, the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions (OASES), with a mission to “prioritize research and science more than ever before and put it at the forefront of rulemakings and technical assistance to states,” but provided no further information on the new office.