Of all the federal agencies that fall under Donald Trump’s purview, none embodies the administration’s unofficial mandate to do the exact opposite of its stated mission quite like the Environmental Protection Agency. For the last two years, the E.P.A.—which, as a reminder, is supposed to be protecting human health and the environment—has done everything in its power to turn the planet into an ashtray and convince Americans that toxic chemicals are actually totally fine to drink, breathe, and otherwise ingest, all in an effort to help companies secreting those chemicals maximize their profits. Which is to say, we probably should have seen this one coming:

The Trump administration has placed a former Koch Industries official in charge of research that will shape how the government regulates a class of toxic chemicals contaminating millions of Americans’ drinking water—an issue that could have major financial repercussions for his former employer.

David Dunlap, a deputy in E.P.A.’s Office of Research and Development, is playing a key role as the agency decides how to protect people from the pollution left behind at hundreds of military bases and factories across the country. . .He spent the previous eight years as Koch Industries’ lead expert on water and chemical regulations, a position that typically includes helping companies to limit regulatory restrictions and liability for cleanups.

Dunlap was hired in October, according to previously undisclosed documents. Since then, he has been extremely busy, having reportedly been involved in high-level meetings that preceded the agency’s decision not to set drinking water limits for chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which “have been linked with kidney and testicular cancer, as well as other ailments.” (In a statement, David Ross, EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, told the Hive: “Despite what is being reported, EPA has not finalized or publicly issued its PFAS management plan, and any information that speculates what is included in the plan is premature. The agency is committed to following the Safe Drinking Water Act process for evaluating new drinking water standards, which is just one of the many components of the draft plan that is currently undergoing interagency review.”) According to Politico, Dunlap has been able to avoid a Senate confirmation hearing in which his prior work experience might come up because Trump has not officially nominated anyone to run to office. (Dunlap’s official bio on the E.P.A. Web site declines to mention any of his employers during his “more than 30 years” working for “private industry, trade associations and as an environmental consultant.”) Currently, Koch subsidiary Georgia-Pacific, a paper and pulp conglomerate, is facing at least one class-action suit related to chemicals now under Dunlap’s purview.