During the first week of the Biden Administration, forty-eight actions by the previous Administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency were reversed.  The status of chlorpyrifos banned in 2017 but re-approved in 2018 was reversed, other toxic compounds including specified neonicotinoid and dicamba formulations will have registrations withdrawn. 

The incoming Administration will use the Congressional Review Act to reverse regulations that were introduced through rule making.  Federal rules issued since August 21st 2020 can be overturned within sixty legislative days.  Certain rule making that was fast-tracked during the last weeks of the previous Administration were ruled illegal by a federal court. A contentious decision to exclude many epidemiologic studies in establishing rules was set aside.

A challenge facing the Biden Administration will be to rebuild the EPA to serve its intended purpose.  Additional funding will be required to restore programs especially in research and compliance. Personnel with extensive experience who were either forced out of their positions or voluntarily left the Agency will have to be either rehired or replaced.  The morale of remaining scientific personnel and administrators will have to be reestablished. These tasks may take more than four years to complete.