“E.P.A. public servants defend us and the environment from harmful pollution every day, not in hopes of attention or bigger paychecks, or to execute the wishes, wants or needs of billionaires looking to play on a bigger stage. They do it for all Americans and because of laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
– Excerpt from Oped from William K. Reilly, Christine Todd Whitman and Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrators under both Republican and Democratic presidents
- The Environmental Protection Agency protects people’s health and safety by enforcing America’s environmental laws, setting science-based pollution standards for clean air and clean water, and responding to catastrophes.
- Without EPA staff on the job, the air we breathe and the water we drink will be at greater risk from toxic pollution that causes cancer, asthma attacks, lung disease, and other health threats.
- EPA employees are non-partisan civil servants working to save lives and protect the health of children, the elderly, and everyone who depends on clean air and clean water. EPA’s workforce includes thousands of scientists and engineers who work in every region of the country, responding to disasters, testing toxic chemicals, monitoring pollution, setting public health standards, and building drinking water infrastructure.
“When the next catastrophe that spews pollutants into the air or contaminants into our drinking water or food supply arrives, who will deal with the emergency and its aftermath? After wildfires devastated Maui in 2023, E.P.A. emergency workers partnered with people on the ground to minimize residents’ exposure to dangerous air. After the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the E.P.A. was on the scene monitoring contaminated air, water and soil, managing the cleanup and holding the railway company Norfolk Southern responsible for unlawfully discharging pollutants and hazardous substances. When states and cities suffer from floods, wildfires and oil spills, they rely on the E.P.A. to act fast so that harm to humans is mitigated, and small businesses and local tourism can quickly recover.”
– Excerpt from Oped by William K. Reilly, Christine Todd Whitman and Gina McCarthy
- EPA holds corporate polluters accountable for what they put into the air our children breathe and the water we all drink by monitoring pollution and enforcing violations of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
- EPA protects communities that are especially harmed by air and water pollution by following the pollution and putting funding to work where the need is greatest.
- EPA responds to disasters such as wildfires and floods that spread toxic contamination, as well as emergencies such as oil spills and chemical releases.