On Jun. 18, 2025, In a new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) opinion paper, former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Office of Research and Development (ORD) scientists Scott Glaberman, H. Christopher Frey, and Tamara Tal issue a stark warning: proposals to eliminate ORD could have irreversible consequences for the nation’s environmental health, public safety, and scientific leadership.

The authors outline how losing ORD would dismantle the scientific infrastructure behind decades of environmental progress—and critically impair the country’s ability to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) threats. While a court has temporarily paused the EPA’s reorganization, ORD staff remain in limbo. The stakes, as detailed by the authors, extend far beyond the agency—affecting everything from clean water and air to national emergency response.

In a new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) opinion paper, former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Office of Research and Development (ORD) scientists Scott Glaberman, H. Christopher Frey, and Tamara Tal issue a stark warning: proposals to eliminate ORD could have irreversible consequences for the nation’s environmental health, public safety, and scientific leadership.

The authors outline how losing ORD would dismantle the scientific infrastructure behind decades of environmental progress—and critically impair the country’s ability to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) threats. While a court has temporarily paused the EPA’s reorganization, ORD staff remain in limbo. The stakes, as detailed by the authors, extend far beyond the agency—affecting everything from clean water and air to national emergency response.

One of ORD’s lesser-known but critical functions is its Homeland Security Research Program, which addresses scientific gaps in national disaster preparedness and response. This includes preparedness for CBRNE hazards—chemical spills, radiological events, biological contamination, and even explosive incidents.

ORD’s scientific expertise has supported the federal response to major crises such as the 2001 anthrax attacks, the 9/11 World Trade Center collapse, Hurricane Katrina, the Flint water crisis, and the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment. In each case, ORD provided real-time contaminant monitoring, exposure modeling, risk assessments, and technical guidance. The office plays a unique role in bridging environmental science with national security. Eliminating ORD would severely degrade the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to large-scale chemical or radiological events—an unacceptable vulnerability in an era of climate-driven disasters and growing global instability.

The EPA’s Office of Research and Development is more than a scientific institution—it is a national asset that underpins health, security, innovation, and preparedness. Its elimination would fracture the EPA’s ability to respond to public health emergencies, protect vulnerable populations, and support domestic industry in a competitive global market.