Black said aquatic insects are essential to our landscapes, as well as pollinators that Americans are interested in supporting. However, they do not enjoy the same popularity.
Freshwater mollusks that live in U.S. rivers filter water. Black said if the river were cleaner, water utilities wouldn’t have to spend as much money on treatment.
In addition to deficiencies in existing pollution control laws, Black sees a risk of rolling back enforcement of those laws and other federal environmental measures.
“What worries me is that we’re losing staff across the board. All agencies that are responsible for conservation in some way are losing staff,” he said.
The EPA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service have each lost about a quarter of their employees since President Trump took office in January 2025, according to a monthly report from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The Fish and Wildlife Service lost nearly a third, and the Forest Service lost more than a tenth.
The Trump administration is also pushing for the expansion of coal mining and the continuation of coal-fired power plants, rather than a transition to cleaner alternatives.
In an email to Harvest Public Media, the EPA Press Office said the agency remains committed to working with states to enforce the Clean Water Act. The EPA said it has the personnel to do this, and that the agency’s civil enforcement caseload has reached its highest level in years.
“Over the past year, EPA has undertaken a strategic realignment to better provide clean air, land, and water for all Americans, based on our unwavering commitment to gold-standard science,” the email said.
He also said that working on Superfund remains one of the agency’s top priorities.
“Trump EPA is focused on accelerating this effort to deliver health and economic benefits to communities faster than ever before,” the email said.
