The EPA Is Quietly Killing Its Web Archive

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to decommission its online web archive by the end of the year, which would eliminate tens of thousands of publicly available environmental resources dating back at least 20 years. The archive serves as a critical tool for researchers, legislators, and the public to access historical information on environmental policies, regulatory actions, and agency decisions. This is the third attempt by the EPA to shut down the archive—previous closure attempts in 2022 were delayed after public backlash from environmental groups, historians, and librarians who warned the loss would create irreplaceable gaps in the historical record.