Mississippi leads states in environmental budget cuts, new report says

No state has cut funding to its environmental regulatory body more over the last 15 years than Mississippi, a report released Wednesday said.

The new study, done by the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project, found the state slashed funding for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality by 71% from 2010 to 2024. Mississippi also had the largest decrease in total dollars from that time, with MDEQ’s inflation-adjusted budget dropping from $373 million t0 $107 million, the report said.

The EIP report also looked at staffing reductions over that timeframe. Mississippi ranked 10th in staffing cuts, going from 523 employees in 2010 to 433 in 2024, or a 17% decrease.

In total, 27 states cut funding to their environmental agencies over that period, including Mississippi’s neighbors