Collapse of environmental enforcement against polluters Case Federal civil lawsuits against polluters fell to record lows in Trump's second term. DOJ's environmental division has been shrunk, renamed to drop 'environment,' and staffed in part with industry lawyers. Documentation DOJ filed only 16 civil enforcement lawsuits for EPA in the first year: 76% below Biden's first year, 81% below Trump's first term, and 87% below Obama's second. Settlements fell to 40 in 2025, compared with 112 in 2021 and 186 in 2013. Of about 700 facilities with high-priority air violations, only 12% faced enforcement. DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division was renamed the Energy and Natural Resources Division in June 2025 and lost over 25% of its staff. The Environmental Crimes Section shrank from 42 attorneys to about 21, the Environmental Justice Office closed in February 2025, and four section chiefs were involuntarily reassigned. Context and counterpoints EPA's press secretary told NPR the agency is committed to clean air, land and water and is focused on swift compliance rather than overzealous enforcement intended to cripple industry. EPA's enforcement results release for fiscal 2025 said the agency closed more cases than in any year of the Biden administration. Inside Climate News found that 75% of the 61 criminal cases adjudicated in federal court that year originated before the second term. Inside Climate News's analysis finds the filing of civil suits for EPA has been in long decline since the 2010 midterms, continuing through the Biden administration, though the second-term fall is unprecedented. Perspectives Official position — EPA (via press secretary Brigit Hirsch) EPA says it is focused on achieving swift compliance rather than overzealous enforcement intended to cripple industry, and that it remains committed to its core mission of clean air, land and water. Note The administration says it favours compliance assistance over litigation, and administrative penalties stayed closer to prior levels than lawsuit counts did. Sources [1] Environmental Integrity Project (https://environmentalintegrity.org/news/environmental-enforcement-plummets-in-the-first-year-of-trumps-second-term/) [2] Inside Climate News (https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28072026/justice-department-environmental-enforcement-has-collapsed/) [3] EHSLeaders — Trump EPA records steep decline in civil enforcement actions (quoting EPA's statement) (https://ehsleaders.org/2026/03/trump-epa-records-steep-decline-in-civil-enforcement-actions/) · 2026-03-05 [4] Inside Climate News — Trump's EPA claims strong enforcement; the data tell a different story (https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10032026/trumps-epa-claims-strong-enforcement/) · 2026-03-10 [5] Inside Climate News — The Trump EPA is a toothless friend of polluting industries, analysis shows (https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01092026/trump-epa-clean-air-water-retreat/) · 2026-09-01 Connections Related — DOJ sues states to shield oil companies from climate liability Same DOJ division, turned from prosecuting polluters to defending them. Related — East Palestine derailment: the human cost, and the accountability that came 15 months later (2023-2024) The 2024 settlement shows what EPA and DOJ enforcement looked like before the second-term decline in civil suits. Related — Environmental deregulation under EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Same agency outcome: fewer rules and less enforcement of those remaining. Related — Oil and gas insiders running the energy agencies: Wright, Burgum, and the appointee pipeline Ex-Exxon counsel joined the DOJ division whose enforcement collapsed. Related — Power plant pollution rules: repeal of the 2024 mercury standards and of most greenhouse-gas standards (2025-2026) Fewer rules and weaker enforcement of those remaining: that entry covers the drop in enforcement against polluters. Related — Rescinding the Roadless Rule: ending national road and logging limits on 44.7 million acres of national forest (2025-2026) Another front in the administration's rollback of environmental safeguards on public resources. Shared mechanism — Sen. Susan Collins, Navatek and an FBI pay-to-play probe that ended in the 2025 public-corruption purge (ProPublica, Sept. 2026) In both entries Justice Department enforcement capacity was reduced after 2025, which ProPublica says ended the Collins inquiry; this is an inferred connection between the two enforcement areas. Related — Synthesis: Big Oil's return on investment across the whole administration Enforcement retreat. Related — Synthesis: profit over public protection, from East Palestine to the EPA (2017-2026) The enforcement numbers behind the claim that accountability is now less likely.