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EPA Closes Biden-Era Museum Over Costs and Low Attendance

The Trump administration cites high expenses, limited visitors, and ideological bias as reasons for shutting down the National Environmental Museum and Education Center in Washington, D.C.

FILE - Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Capitol Hill, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, a Republican, speaks as the U.S. vice president visits East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 3, 2025. Rebecca Droke/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Overview

  • The EPA museum, opened under the Biden administration in May 2024, cost $4 million to build and $600,000 annually to operate.
  • Fewer than 2,000 external visitors attended the museum in its 10 months of operation, with a taxpayer cost of $315 per visitor.
  • EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin criticized the museum for focusing on environmental justice and climate change while omitting achievements from the Trump administration.
  • The closure is part of broader cost-cutting measures by the Trump administration, aimed at reducing federal spending and refocusing the EPA on its core mission of environmental protection.
  • Exhibits and information from the museum have been removed, and the EPA’s website has been updated to reflect the closure.