Department of Environmental Protection Act

H.R. 2694, the Department of Environmental Protection Act, proposes to elevate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to a cabinet-level department known as the Department of Environmental Protection. This change would replace the EPA Administrator with a Secretary of the Environment, providing the agency with a permanent seat in the President’s Cabinet.

For the public, this bill aims to improve government transparency and accountability by establishing a Bureau of Environmental Statistics and a public access system for environmental data. It also creates a dedicated Office of Environmental Justice and a Science Advisory Board to ensure that federal environmental policies are based on peer-reviewed research and address the concerns of all communities. Additionally, the bill introduces stricter requirements for strategic planning and contract management to improve the efficiency of how environmental programs are administered.