I disagree. It needs to be reigned in not abolished.
The EPA has done some good things. I remember when lakes weren't safe to swim in and fish had toxins. Even Kentucky's lakes to my north have too much natural radioactive substances in them, and I know that thanks to EPA monitoring.
The brown haze in Nashville in the summer is considerably better than it used to be. Air quality monitoring and clean up actions have helped a lot of people.
But clearly there have been abuses. The administrative court system that was set up is too biased and is not a fair arbiter of complaints. And the ability to apply fines without due process in a guilty until proven innocent system is not acceptable.
I don't have a comprehensive list of the abuses or how to fix it, but I'm certain it can be done, while retaining the useful and necessary functions.
All those things could be handled by the states, who all have their own version of the EPA.
No need for a central authority.
Different subject altogether, I know, but please extol the benefits of the Department of Education. Abolish or reform?
The EPA has been empire building since it’s beginning.
One subtle example I’m familiar with is testing and regulation. I worked in chemistry labs for many years, inluding some environmental lab work.
If you look at the regulated limits you see that as testing equipment and detection limits improve, the allowable limit follows the detection limit down.
What used to be allowable at the part per million level suddenly becomes only allowable at the part per billion level, then part per trillion, etc.
It has very little to do with what level is actually toxic to the environment. It becomes a way to regulate products and behavior. It’s a hammer and the rest of us are nails.
“The EPA has done some good things.”
No, it hasn’t. EPA is gestapo.
We have common law trespass legislation to take care of pollution. Dumping garbage (pollution) onto my private property is a trespass. Courts have recognized trespass for hundreds of years as a legitimate reason for a lawsuit.