Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, and Rob Wolcott, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Policy, were quoted in Public News Service about EPN’s latest report, Breathing Easy: An Assessment of Public Health Benefits from EPA Air Pollution Standards (2021-24). Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, was quoted in The Guardian about EPN’s report, saying that our analysis is “jaw-dropping.” An EPA spokesperson responded to the report, saying, “We appreciate the work of the Environmental Protection Network and look forward to reviewing their report.” EPN’s new report, Breathing Easy: An Assessment of Public Health Benefits from EPA Air Pollution Standards (2021-24), was featured in E&E News.
Breathing Easy in the News
Report: EPA Clean Air Benefits Include 200,000 Lives Saved
Biden’s Green Policies Will Save 200,000 Lives and Have Boosted Clean Energy Jobs, Data Shows
In Project 2025 Rebuttal, Report Predicts Big Air Reg Benefits
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, and Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, were quoted in Undark about how toxic chemicals like PFAS would be regulated under a Trump administration versus Harris. Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), was quoted in CNN about the dangerous levels of flame retardants found in black-colored plastic kitchen utensils and children’s toys.
Chemicals in the News
How the Election Could Affect Toxic Chemical Regulation
Black-Colored Plastic Used for Kitchen Utensils and Toys Linked to Banned Toxic Flame Retardants
EPN members penned op-eds about the potential public health and environmental consequences of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.
David Coursen, former attorney in EPA’s Office of General Counsel, writes of the radical changes Project 2025 proposes for the EPA, aiming to dismantle environmental protections, replace career experts with political appointees, and reduce polluters’ costs.
Chitra Kumar, EPN board member and former director of the Office of Policy, Partnerships, and Program Development in EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, warns that Project 2025 would reverse decades of progress in environmental justice by dismantling key EPA programs.
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, EPN board member and former Acting Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development, warns that Project 2025 aims to undermine EPA’s scientific mission by replacing technical experts with political appointees and limiting the agency’s use of science in decision-making.
Browse all op-eds in the series on our Substack.
EPN members were also quoted in articles about PFAS drinking water levels, The Heritage Foundation’s record requests, and what a Trump EPA might look like for a second term. Elin Betanzo, former Environmental Engineer, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, and Ronnie Levin, former Senior Scientist, EPA Region 1, were quoted in The Guardian about lawsuits backed by the utility industry against EPA and its recent PFAS drinking water standards. The utilities allege that EPA did not use adequate science and data when writing the rule. Bob Perciasepe, former EPA Deputy Administrator, and Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, were quoted in E&E News about The Heritage Foundation’s FOIA request of over 2,000 records across all federal agencies. Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting EPA Deputy Administrator; Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN; and Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Acting Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development, were quoted in Fast Company about how Project 2025 would politicize EPA, causing detrimental public health impacts that would take decades to recover from.
EPA’s Drinking Water Limits for PFAS Are Under Threat – and That’s Nothing New
Heritage Foundation’s Record Requests Rattle Feds
‘It’s a Choice Between a Firefighter and a Climate Arsonist’: What the EPA Might Look Like Under Trump 2.0
