John Busterud, assistant administrator of the U.S. EPA’s main waste office, will leave the agency to focus on a health condition.
Busterud, who took the top job to lead the Office of Land and Emergency Management after the Senate confirmed him in the role in October, will leave on March 7, E&E News first reported.
In an emailed statement to Waste Dive, an EPA spokesperson confirmed his departure, noting Busterud oversaw “some of the agency's most impactful programs” including programs under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Superfund remediation.
EPA did not say who will lead OLEM after Busterud’s departure. Steven Cook is currently the principal deputy assistant administrator, a role he took on in January 2025 at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. He also served as OLEM’s deputy assistant administrator during part of Trump’s first term, and previously was lead counsel for LyondellBasell.
Busterud was expected to prioritize several projects related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including supporting a “polluter pays” model aimed at protecting certain entities from PFAS-related cleanup liabilities. The waste industry has long considered itself a passive receiver of PFAS-containing materials and has been advocating for liability exemptions under Superfund.
Busterud has engaged with the waste industry in recent months and had meetings with the National Waste & Recycling Association, Veolia, Clean Harbors and Waste Connections and others according to his public calendar. He also attended an event held by the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials.
Busterud has a background in environmental law. He served on the board of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance, a public policy organization that focuses on environmental initiatives that also help grow businesses. During the first Trump administration, Busterud was appointed EPA administrator for Region 9. He also served as an officer in the Army Reserve, retiring in 2014 as a colonel.
Busterud’s appointment came after a long period where OLEM’s assistant administrator leadership was up in the air. The office had no Senate-confirmed assistant administrator during the Biden administration because of a stalled out nomination process for the previous nominee, Carlton Waterhouse. Waterhouse later left the agency.
Peter Wright, the assistant administrator during the first Trump administration, also faced a long nomination process that took 16 months to approve in Congress due to opposition from Democrats.
The EPA is expected to continue work on several waste-related initiatives in coming months, including determining recipients for the Solid Waste Infrastructure For Recycling grant program for tribes. It also continues work on a framework for extended producer responsibility for batteries.
A lawsuit NWRA filed against the EPA over the agency’s determination of certain PFAS as hazardous substances continues to move its way through court. The agency has said it also intends to develop a new rule on how it might craft future hazardous substance designations under CERCLA, including cost considerations.
