Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled 100 actions the agency has undertaken since Trump’s inauguration to “power the American comeback.”

“The Trump Administration’s first one hundred days have been historic. The American public made themselves heard last November, and we are delivering on this mandate. Promises made, promises kept. At EPA, we are doing our part to Power the Great American Comeback. To mark this momentous day, we are proudly highlighting 100 environmental actions we have taken since January 20th to protect human health and the environment,” Zeldin said in a video post reported by Breitbart.

To mark the 100th day of President Trump’s second term, @EPA is proudly highlighting 100 environmental actions we have taken since January 20th to protect human health and the environment.

Clean air, land, and water for ALL Americans! pic.twitter.com/CdTX1w6bJZ

— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) April 30, 2025

The EPA was established by President Richard Nixon in 1970, tasking the agency with two missions; promoting clear air and water, and reducing pollution from waste disposal and other hazards. According to Zeldin, the agency has refocused on its primary mission of ensuring clean air and water instead of pushing “climate change religion.”

“Here are a few top highlights: To protect our nation’s waters, we updated water quality standards for 38 miles of the Delaware River to protect critical fish species and keep the river clean. We approved a plan to further restore and protect the Long Island Sound over the next decade. We also developed a method to detect 40 different PFAS in surface water, ground water and wastewater,” Zeldin said, adding “Our team completed one of three in-water cleanups at the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site and revised the 2025 Idaho Water Quality Performance Partnership with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. To ensure clean air for all Americans, we demanded answers from an unregulated geoengineering start-up, Make Sunsets, that has been launching sulfur dioxide into the air to receive ‘cooling credits.'”

According to Taylor Rogers, an assistant White House press secretary, the Trump administration and Zeldin have “taken monumental steps to quickly remove toxins from our water and environment, provide clean land for Americans, and use common-sense policies to Power the Great American Comeback.”

Here are the 100 actions the EPA has undertaken via Breitbart;

1. Issued immediate action items for Mexico to permanently end the Tijuana River sewage crisis.

2. Responded quickly to a citizen complaint about discharges into New York’s Hutchinson River; inspected and ordered corrective action.

3. Developed a Clean Water Act permit for hotels, condominiums, and apartment complexes to protect water quality in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

4. Finalized Arkansas 2022 Section 303(d) list assessing statewide water quality.

5. Approved Kansas Triennial Water Quality Standards Package.

6. Approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan in South Dakota to protect Big Sioux River quality from E. coli.

7. Announced plans to finalize outdated clean water standards for 38 miles of the Delaware River.

8. Approved removal of the Drinking Water Beneficial Use Impairment in Wisconsin’s Green Bay and Fox River Area of Concern.

9. Advanced Navajo Nation’s first in the country water permitting (“Treatment as a State”) authority.

10. Completed Phase 1 hazardous materials clean up after the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires. EPA cleared 13,612 residential properties and 305 commercial properties, and removed 645 electric and hybrid vehicles and 420 energy storage systems in under 30 days.

11. Supported redevelopment at 21 Superfund sites across 13 states.

12. Completed a contaminated site cleanup in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, and Stratford, Connecticut.

13. Oversaw U.S. Navy’s time-critical removal of 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil at the Naval Education Training Center Superfund Site in Newport, Rhode Island.

14. Cleared all or a portion of 4 sites from the Superfund National Priorities List.

15. Cut two years from the cleanup timeline at West Lake Landfill, a Superfund site in St. Louis, Missouri.

16. Completed 55 property cleanups at Region 8 Brownfields. This is 31% of the national goal and 131% of Region 8’s Fiscal Year 2025 goal.

17. Completed laboratory work required for selecting a remedy at Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund Site in Pennsylvania. EPA collected 1500 sediment and water samples.

18. Responded to a mercury incident in Fremont, Ohio; safely removed and disposed of a 60-pound overpack and 15-pound bucket containing jars of elemental mercury and mercury containing devices.

19. Provided air monitoring support at the Chicago Magnesium Casting Co. after a large magnesium fire.

20. Completed Emergency Removal Action at the Marion Ohio Mercury Spill site in Ohio.

21. Oversaw Navy cleanup operations at Red Hill Fuel Facility in Hawaii, including removal of all sludge and pressure washing at two 12.5 million-gallon tanks.

22. Developed a method to detect 40 PFAS compounds in water sources.

23. Finalized eight Water Quality Standard Actions for Region 6 states.

24. Completed a second round of PFAS sampling at Region 7 Tribal Drinking Water Systems.

25. Provided interim PFAS lab certification for Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC).

26. Signed an agreement to connect Joint Base Lewis-McChord residences to municipal water system if PFAS exceeds standards.

27. Started Final Remedial Actions for Jackson Ceramix Superfund in Falls Creek Borough, Pennsylvania, with construction to begin in the Spring of 2025.

28. Provided training to help New Mexico administer the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a permit program established by EPA under the Clean Water Act to regulate water pollution by controlling point sources that discharge pollutants into U.S. waters.

29. Coordinated PFAS drinking water well sampling around Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

30. Utilized EPA lab Method 522 to test tribal drinking water systems for PFAS; performed 62 analyses.

31. Completed lead testing assistance (3T’s Protocol) for Puerto Rico schools and childcare facilities.

32. Reviewed 29 public water systems that had lead action level exceedance notifications in Region 4.

33. Completed 25 State Implementation Plans allowing environmental requirements to go into effect faster, 16 of which were backlogged from the previous Administration.

34. Finalized air quality rulemaking in the Washington D.C. Area ensuring ozone compliance.

35. Conducted ambient air monitoring technical system audits (TSAs) across Region 9.

36. Upgraded the RadNet monitoring station in Edison, New Jersey, to detect airborne radioactivity.

37. Awarded $165,000 to San Diego Air Pollution Control District for air filters and $1.26M for hydrogen sulfide monitoring to address air quality at the border and concerns with sulfur odors from Tijuana River sewage.

38. Promoted clean air quality compliance for new chip manufacturing projects in Phoenix, Arizona.

39. 27 Brownfields sites were made Ready for Anticipated Use, boosting property values and economic opportunities in Hartshorne, Oklahoma, Minden, Louisiana, West Memphis, Arkansas, and more.

40. Completed 107 assessments of Brownfield properties in Region 7, which is 82% of their Fiscal Year 2025 goal.

41. Achieved 21 contaminated Brownfield redevelopment successes in Region 9.

42. Held a Superfund Job Training at Missouri’s Ozark Correctional Center.

43. Completed review of 81 New Chemicals to ensure they are safe for human health and the environment.

44. Conducted a safety review of 14 pesticides to set tolerances to support a safe and reliable food supply.

45. Approved 48 pesticides to provide growers with necessary tools while ensuring appropriate restrictions were imposed to protect human health, the environment, and endangered species.

46. Proposed 35 significant new use rules (SNURs) for chemical oversight to ensure chemicals do not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.

47. Led a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Week-In-Residence Enforcement Training event for newly hired state inspectors to equip new inspectors with the knowledge necessary to uphold consistent inspection standards.

48. Blocked illegal pesticide imports totaling over 200,000 pounds across multiple regions.

49. Announced approval of Texas’s clean-air plan to address vehicle emissions and improve air quality in the San Antonio area.

50. Issued amended PCB risk-based disposal approvals to expedite repairs at public schools.

51. Led a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) State Authorization Conference to strengthen the hazardous waste program across all states.

52. Sent mobile drinking water lab to flood-impacted Eastern Kentucky.

53. Cleared more than 1,700 orphan containers of oil, propane, and other hazardous materials from land and waterways around the French Broad River after Hurricane Helene.

54. Tested over 1,500 private wells in North Carolina’s Buncombe and Watauga counties.

55. Assisted in restoring drinking water service to 150,000 people in North Carolina.

56. Concluded 297 enforcement cases reducing 15 million pounds of pollution.

57. Superfund enforcement secured $296 million worth of cleanups addressing more than 700,000 cubic yards of contamination.

58. Completed cleanup at Metals Refining Co. hazardous waste site in Indiana after discovering thirty-two, 55-gallon drums most of which were damaged and some leaking and an additional 200 to 300 miscellaneous containers of hazardous waste.

59. Removed approximately 10,000 tons of soil and debris contaminated with asbestos containing material from an unsecured 10-acre property in Indiana.

60. Collaborated to replace lead-contaminated soil at Atlanta’s Lindsay Street Park.

61. Analyzed children’s blood lead data to improve South Dakota lead prevention efforts.

62. Supported tribal waste management programs with multiple trainings to address dangerous materials like refrigerants, mercury switches, PCBs, and petroleum components.

63. Conducted 6,000 1-on-1 engagements with communities impacted by fires.

64. Held 104 public meetings or community events for fire response updates.

65. Provided training, guidance, and support to monitor and cleanup Underground Storage Tanks on Navajo Nation lands.

66. Started cleanup of radium-contaminated soil at the Silbert Watch Co. Superfund Site in Elgin, Illinois.

67. Developed EPA Method TO-15 to analyze 65 toxic Volatile Organic Compounds in indoor and outdoor air in support of Superfund and Clean Air Act.

68. Supported Los Alamos National Lab in transporting hazardous tritium containers for cleanup.

69. Conducted lead contamination studies at the Bunker Hill Superfund site.

70. Completed the review of the Houston area Ozone Exceptional that allows the state to proceed with their Air Program planning and implementation.

71. Worked with U.S. Customs to stop illegal pesticide imports at multiple ports.

72. Blocked over 56,000 pounds of unregistered pesticide products from entering through Region 4 ports.

73. Provided technical assistance support to communities at 31 Superfund sites across the country.

74. Cleanup of the HPI Chemical Products in Missouri, where thousands of containers of pesticide and herbicide containing hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants were housed.

75. Began a Remedial Investigation of the Historic Potteries site in Trenton, New Jersey.

76. Completed 7 property cleanups in Brownfields in the First 100 Days in Region 7.

77. Approved updated Comprehensive Conservation & Management plan for the Long Island Sound Partnership, to further restore and protect the Sound.

78. Initiated sediment removal projects at the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site removing approximately 13,700 cubic yards of contaminated sediment.

79. Oversaw cleanups at tribal and local jurisdictions under CERCLA and Clean Water Act.

80. Supported redevelopment at the Mississippi Phosphate Superfund site with a new treatment plant.

81. Completed analysis for wood treating contaminants at 181 residential properties around the Union Pacific Railroad Superfund site in Houston, Texas, with seventy four percent found to be safe for use.

82. Managed post-disaster hazardous materials spills in Ohio and North Carolina.

83. Inspected and mitigated vapor intrusion impacting Los Angeles from a former Superfund site.

84. Obtained court settlement for cleanup work at the San Fernando Valley Superfund Site located in North Hollywood-Burbank to restore a critical drinking water supply for the city of Los Angeles.

85. Responded to hydraulic oil spill into a creek in Whitehouse, Ohio.

86. Supported voluntary cleanups under consent decrees.

87. Began a removal action in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to excavate and dispose of contaminated soil at three residential properties as part of a larger ongoing cleanup effort.

88. Approved eight plans for cleanup and disposal of toxic Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) materials to facilitate reuse and economic development across properties in New England.

89. Finalized Native Green Grow Air Permit for large greenhouse facility in North Dakota, providing the Tribe with food security.

90. Advanced Native American environmental oversight efforts.

91. Granted a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, for drinking water infrastructure to over 20% of Utah’s population while creating local jobs to support the projects.

92. Supported grant programs to monitor and clean up abandoned USTs.

93. Provided federal funds to conduct Highway 24 lead and arsenic clean up in Colorado.

94. Helped prevent spread of hazardous materials from warehouse fires including sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, potassium cyanide, sodium cyanide, and lead.

95. Collaborated with fire rescue teams in North Carolina to retrieve containers from flooded rivers.

96. Provided technical guidance to local water operators, supporting efforts to restore and maintain drinking water systems and other essential services during Hurricane Helene Recovery efforts.

97. Completed all residential soil and indoor dust cleanup at the Colorado Smelter Superfund site.

98. Completed the 5-Year Review for Puerto Rico’s Corozal Superfund Site, paving the way for its deletion from the CERCLA Superfund National Priority List.

99. Submitted a demand for information to a start-up company called “Make Sunsets,” which is launching balloons filled with sulfur dioxide (SO2) seeking to geoengineer the planet and generate “cooling” credits to sell.

100. Announced major actions to combat PFAS contamination.

Authored by Rachel Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is warning of a workless “lost generation,” caused partly by the number of young people suffering from poor mental health.

The body is calling for immediate government action which it says is needed to help young people from generation Z, generally defined as those born between 1997–2012, to enter the workplace or education.

Its report, “Creating Job Opportunities for Gen Z,” released on Monday, follows research published last week which found the number of young people claiming benefits owing to poor mental health or neurodiverse conditions such as autism and ADHD was not economically “sustainable.”

‘Double Whammy’

Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC, said:   “The UK’s active workforce is rapidly ageing, while the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training is at its highest level for a decade.

“Generation Z face a double whammy of increasing barriers to entering the workforce, and reducing opportunities as the number of vacancies continues to fall.

“But research shows the longer we leave this pool of talent to drift away from the workplace the harder it becomes for them to engage.”

The BCC, which represents a large number of smaller businesses, is calling on the government to spend more on mental health support and further education and for a more “collaborative approach” across the various Whitehall departments.

‘Rise of Anxiety’

Last week’s report from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) pointed to soaring numbers of people reporting poor mental health and claiming benefits since the COVID-19 lockdown era.

“One clear trend is the rise of anxiety particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from the Annual Population Survey show that prior to the pandemic, self-reported levels of anxiety in the population were relatively stable. Since 2019, however, the number of people reporting high levels of anxiety has surged and remained high, with 23 per cent of working-age adults reporting ‘poor anxiety’ in 2023,” authors for the former prime minister’s organisation wrote.

Mental health conditions are now the most commonly reason cited by people across all age groups who are out of work owing to long-term sickness, the report by the TBI notes.

“The reasons behind this shift remain unclear. It may reflect a rise in true prevalence, but other factors could also be at play – such as distorted financial incentives within the system, overdiagnosis or changing public attitudes and awareness around mental health.

“Whatever the cause, one thing is clear: the current trajectory is unsustainable,” the authors concluded.

The study highlights a 168 percent reported increase in depression, anxiety, and stress among those aged 16–24 in the two decades ending in 2019, with a 42 percent rise seen across all age groups.

It also notes a doubling in the prescribing of ADHD medication since 2018–2019, with the younger age group the main driver behind this increase.

Surging Benefits Bill

Claims for mental health conditions have fuelled a nationwide surge in benefits payments since the lockdown era, with an estimated 25 percent in income tax predicted to be used to fund sickness benefits by the end of this decade, unless the trajectory changes.

An estimated 13.4 percent of all young people aged 16 to 24 were classed as NEET (“not in education, employment, or training”) in October to December 2024, an increase of 1.3 percent compared with October to December 2023, according to the latest release from the Office for National Statistics.

The precise figures are not reliable, because they are based on the statistics agency’s labour market survey, which is hampered by low response rates, especially for younger age groups.

Research by The King’s Trust, carried out in 2022, shows that one in four classed as NEETs said they would like to work but cannot, owing to their poor mental health, with “lack of confidence” also cited as a major barrier to entering the workforce by 23 percent of young people.

Almost half (46 percent) of those surveyed told The King’s Trust researchers they have additional mental health issues or caring responsibilities owing to the lockdown era which meant they were out of work.

More than half (52 percent), said the longer they were unemployed, the harder they were finding it to get work, while 45 percent said being out of work meant they had lost confidence in their skills.

Youth Guarantee Scheme

Last month, the government announced a series of welfare reforms, including sweeping cuts to disability benefits and an expansion of so-called “back-to-work support,” which it said will help young people diagnosed with mental health problems to enter the workforce.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced a Youth Guarantee Scheme in November, aimed at giving all 18- to 21-year-olds access to training, an apprenticeship, or support to find work, as part of a broader strategy aimed at tackling worklessness and ill health in the wider population.

Releasing its white paper, the DWP said: “Stark figures show almost one and a half million people are unemployed, over nine million people are inactive [and] a record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness.

“Young people have also been left behind with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, and nine million adults lack the essential skills they need to get on in work.”

The government proposes to set up eight youth “trailblazer” areas across the country, allocating £45 million to identify those “most at risk of falling out of education or employment and match them to opportunities for education, training or work,” with a further £40 million allocated to transform the Apprenticeship system.

However, the BCC said in its report that there was a lack of clarity as to how the youth guarantee scheme will work in practice, and whether there will be sufficient funding to last the entire course of the next Parliament.

“Details of how this will be delivered, and the role of employers, are still unclear. While employers want to support the initiative, the rising cost of employment and the squeeze on training budgets could restrict their ability to participate.”

The BCC noted that there is a “lack of incentive” for small- and medium-sized businesses to take on young people, particularly those classed as NEET, because of the financial risk.

“Employers report that young people are more resource-intensive to train and employ, due to their increased need for pastoral care, and their higher staff turnover. Combined with the likelihood that NEETs may have additional needs such as Special Educational Needs (SEN) or mental health challenges, resource-stretched SMEs may feel unable to offer the support needed,” the authors said, adding that the role of government should be to “derisk” this for businesses that take on and retain these young people.