EPA Headquarters Cooling Breakdown Drags Into Third Week, Offices Top 80°F

The Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., has endured a third straight week of air-conditioning failures, pushing indoor temperatures above 80°F during a regional heat wave that has sent the heat index past 100°F. Emails to staff reviewed by CBS News said the General Services Administration is working on faulty chillers in the William Jefferson Clinton complex and has occasionally reduced cooling on days when outside temperatures exceed 90°F to conserve electricity. Employees say the heat is compounded by repeated elevator breakdowns—some cars have reportedly dropped between floors—with replacement parts not expected to arrive for roughly 18 months. One group of staff members was temporarily moved to a basement area near a federal firing range, reviving concerns about past lead-exposure issues that the agency says were abated. The building problems come as the workforce is already shrinking. Hundreds of staff have agreed to depart under the EPA’s voluntary “Fork in the Road” deferred-resignation program, and roughly 140 were placed on administrative leave last week after signing a letter that criticized policy moves under Administrator Lee Zeldin. Some career employees privately question whether the persistent maintenance troubles are intended to accelerate departures, a notion administration officials reject. White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers said the Trump administration is “working diligently” to complete long-overdue repairs that were deferred during earlier telework periods, while the GSA covers elevator costs and the EPA finances other upgrades.