Everyone depends on clean air to stay healthy, especially adults and children living with asthma and other chronic illnesses. We can keep the air in our communities safe in part thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency and other scientists monitoring air quality and identifying sources of pollution.
Public servants working for you
Sarah Jovan and Geoffrey H. Donovan, U.S. Forest Service
Led the first-ever study using tree moss to detect air pollution in a major city, including cancer-causing heavy metals. The findings prompted enforcement actions and offered a new way to more effectively pinpoint where air quality problems originate, at a fraction of the cost of traditional air quality instruments.
Four hundred grants totaling $1.7 billion aimed at improving air and water quality and preparing communities for extreme weather events, along with an additional $20 billion to reduce climate and local air pollution and support affordable clean energy, were canceled.
Center for American ProgressA 120-year-old Ohio nonprofit was on the brink of closing after losing access to $2 million in federal funding during the 2025 government shutdown, jeopardizing clinical care for patients with respiratory conditions and a local home energy assistance program.
10TV-WBNSAbout 22% of federal environmental protection specialists departed from the government between Jan. 2025 and Feb. 2026, leaving Americans and our nature more vulnerable to pollution.