In the News

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article regarding the significant new funding EPA has allocated towards low-income communities and communities of color most affected by pollution, climate change, and COVID-19.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted and EPN was mentioned in this article discussing the push by environmentalists to get EPA to use Toxic Substances Control Act enforcement authority to protect analytical standards for toxic chemicals.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article discussing the need for improved access to health care for Black communities in the Appalachian region.

EPN was cited in this article regarding recommendations by environmental groups to designate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as hazardous substances under the the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA).

Judith Enck, EPN member and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article concerning the decision by the Limetree Bay oil refinery, located in St. Croix, to cease operations after facing numerous environmental violations. Judith was also quoted in a similar article in the Associated Press.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article about a push by environmental groups to get EPA to require companies to include analytical standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as part of EPA’s proposed mandate to set TSCA reporting requirements for the chemicals.

EPN members Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, and Linda Birnbaum, former Director of NIEHS and EPA scientist, were quoted in this article regarding the use of foam containing PFAS at a chemical plant fire in Rockton, IL. They were quoted in similar articles appearing in The Chicago Tribune and Newsweek.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, National Wildlife Federation vice president, EPN member, former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and former Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article discussing the many low-income and minority communities across the country dealing with compounding natural disasters.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article regarding possible changes the Biden administration could enact to reverse Trump-era exemptions to wastewater pollution from coal-fired power plants.

John Bachmann, EPN member and former Associate Director for Science Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of  Air Quality Standards and Planning, was quoted in this article regarding the disparate impact the 24-hour particulate matter (PM) standards, which target direct sources of PM, have on low-income and minority communities.

John Bachmann, EPN member and former Associate Director for Science Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of Air Quality Standards and Planning, was quoted in this article discussing EPA’s decision to reconsider National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter, which was left unchanged by the Trump administration.

Cliff Villa, EPN member and former EPA attorney, was interviewed in this news segment regarding the progress of environmental justice at the federal level.

Judith Enck, EPN member and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article discussing possible ways to dispose of existing landfill waste and minimize the production of new municipal waste.

Kevin Minoli, EPN member and former EPA Acting General Counsel, was quoted in this article discussing challenges the Biden administration faces as it considers redefining Waters of the United States.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article concerning the need to ensure funding for environmental justice programs is targeted to areas including STEM training.

EPN Executive Director Michelle Roos was quoted and EPN was cited in this article supporting a comprehensive class-based approach to PFAS regulation.

EPN’s letter to Congressional appropriators in support of EPA’s FY2022 Budget request was cited in this article discussing the proposed EPA budget.

Dave Coursen, EPN member and former attorney, EPA Office of General Counsel, penned this op-ed describing how the proposed EPA FY2022 budget will allow the agency and its partners to carry out their mission to protect human health and the environment.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was interviewed in this radio segment discussing the need for more federal money to be invested in historically Black colleges and other minority institutions.

Judith Enck, EPN member and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article about the Republican party’s reluctance to move away from the fossil fuel industry.

Bob Sussman, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization attorney (and EPN member and former EPA Deputy Administrator and Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator), was quoted in this article regarding a possible settlement between environmentalists and EPA that would require EPA to include asbestos in the Chemical Data Reporting program.

Cheryl Wasserman, EPN member and former Associate Director for Policy Analysis, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, wrote this op-ed discussing how processes of the National Environmental Policy Act and environmental permitting would be significantly compromised under infrastructure legislation under consideration in Congress. She suggests how legislation can best be implemented to guide smart, efficient infrastructure construction that also enhances the environment, equity, economic empowerment, and climate resilience.

EPN was cited and EPN member Dave Coursen, former attorney, EPA Office of General Counsel, was quoted in this article discussing how EPA’s robust budget request for FY2022 is needed to rebuild the agency after years of stagnant funding.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article concerning implementation of the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative.