Early on the morning of March 25th, 2025, hundreds of people gathered outside the EPA research division in Duluth. Each person brought their own signs in opposition of proposed plans to make cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The rally took place on the road just outside the Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division (GLTED). Federal agencies have been in a state of uncertainty about reduction plans. An executive order has required cuts to be made to each of their agencies. For the Environmental Protection Agency, there was a proposal to eliminate its office of research development.

Strong support to keep the agency as-is showed up. With over 500 people at its peak, the crowd was filled with students, community members, and staff working at the GLTED. One of those many voices was Maxwell Botz, a graduate from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

“GL TED, at least in my experience, has been a huge impact on the academic community here,” he said. “It’s involved with at least UMD, CSS, and LSE, funding a bunch of research, participating in a lot of research, and reaching out to students and civilians in the area.”

Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division legacy

The lab has been there since the 60s, joining the EPA as a part of its long history of researching and testing the environment. According to the GLTED website, “The Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division (GLTED) focuses on developing new methods to predict the effect of chemicals on our nation’s freshwater ecosystems. The Division incorporates traditional and predictive toxicity using advanced tools to produce science to inform ecological risk assessments of chemicals by EPA’s Program Offices and Regions.”

This is not the only lab affected by the potential cuts, as EPA spans the entire country. The Environmental Protection Agency’s plan on what to cut has not been fully revealed, only leaks that representatives say are subject to change.