In the News

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation, former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article discussing how the public needs to push government to action on the climate crisis in the wake of the recent report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Recommendations from EPN’s PFAS Action Plan were cited in this article about the pending release of guidance from EPA’s intra-agency advisory council on PFAS.

Tim Whitehouse, EPN member, PEER Executive Director, and former EPA Senior Attorney and Advisor on enforcement and compliance, was quoted in this article discussing the high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in seafood caught in Chesapeake Bay, likely due to the bay’s proximity to many military installations that have used PFAS-containing firefighting foam.

Linda Birnbaum, EPN member, former Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and former EPA scientist, was quoted in this article about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in many everyday items, including waterproof makeup, and how consumers should try to stay away from them unless for essential use.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director, Office of Science & Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article regarding what can be done at the state level to set legally-enforceable regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances dischargers.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation, former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was interviewed by Joy Reid explaining how to educate the public on the real-life impacts of the climate crisis and how elected officials must do more to include environmental justice as part of climate action.

EPN was mentioned and EPN member Jeff Alson, former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article about President Biden’s executive order to have 50 percent of all vehicles sold come equipped with plug-in hybrid, battery electric, or fuel cell powertrains by 2030, in addition to directing EPA and DOT to change the rollbacks to fuel standards under the Trump administration. 

EPN member Jeff Alson, former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, is quoted in this article about President Biden’s announcement to revise the Trump administration’s rollback of fuel economy standards, making them more stringent than before they were loosened, as well a goal for zero-emissions vehicles to make up 50 percent of new-car sales by 2030.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article regarding the Biden administration’s efforts to speed the adoption of electric vehicles in the coming 15 years, aided by steep declines in the costs of batteries, the shift in car makers’ strategies, and growing public pressure to reduce the greenhouse gases causing climate change.

EPN members Jeff Alson, former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article about the Biden administration’s goal of making half of new vehicle sales in this country electric by 2030, as well as shorter-term proposals intended to push the market toward emission-free vehicles. Jeff was quoted in a similar piece in Greenwire.

Bob Sussman, EPN member; counsel for Safer Chemicals Healthy Families; former EPA Deputy Administrator; and former Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator, was quoted in this article suggesting the pre-prioritization of chemicals as part of EPA’s planned tiered data rule in the TSCA regulatory process, an Obama-era recommendation that had been abandoned by the Trump administration.

EPN member Judith Enck, former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article regarding bipartisan compromise for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act bill scrapping the bulk of the taxes that once financed the Superfund program, leaving little hope that it can return to its original strength.  

Tom Sinks, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of the Science Advisor, was quoted in this article about U.S. researchers and science groups appealing to the Biden administration to protect government science from political interference and to empower federal scientists to speak to the media and public.

Chris Zarba, EPN member and former Director, EPA Science Advisory Board, wrote this op-ed about EPA’s renewed commitment to science in the independent reviews conducted by EPA’s SAB and CASAC. 

EPN member Mark Ryan, former Regional Counsel, EPA Region 10, was quoted in this article regarding the Biden administration’s return to pre-Obama protections for U.S. waters as the first step in a two-step approach to deciding which U.S. waters should get federal protections from pollution.

Michael Levin, EPN member and former Director of Regulatory Reform, EPA Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, wrote this op-ed discussing why an emissions trading system might be a more successful climate change solution than a carbon tax.

Betsy Southerland (EPN member and former Director, Office of Science & Technology, EPA Office of Water) was quoted and EPN was cited in this article regarding EPA’s ability to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as a class. A recent op-ed written by Betsy and EPN members Linda Birnbaum (former Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and former EPA scientist) and Bob Sussman (former EPA Deputy Administrator and Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator) supporting this approach was referred to extensively in the article.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member; vice president of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization; and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article about the environmental justice movement achieving unprecedented prominence and the work to solidify those gains within the federal government.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member; vice president of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization; and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article regarding the nomination of Carlton Waterhouse to oversee the Office of Land and Emergency Management, which could be instrumental in addressing the Biden administration’s goals for environmental justice, climate change, and the regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals.

EPN Member Jeff Alson, former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article about the Biden administration’s expected announcement on stricter fuel-efficiency standards for new cars and light trucks, fulfilling a pledge to reset tailpipe-emission limits eased by former President Trump. Jeff was quoted in a similar article in The New York Times.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article about the need for robust governmental and private sector action in order to achieve the Biden administration’s electric vehicle goals.

Stan Meiburg, EPN member, former Acting EPA Deputy Administrator and former Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Regions 4 and Region 6, was quoted in this article about President Biden’s ambitious plans to confront climate change being hampered by Trump’s battle against climate science, including undermining federal studies, firing scientists, and driving many experts to quit or retire.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article about Toyota’s efforts to sidetrack the Biden administration’s electric car and climate change initiatives.

EPN members Linda Birnbaum, former Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and former EPA scientist; Betsy Southerland, former Director, EPA Office of Science & Technology in the Office of Water; and Bob Sussman, former EPA Deputy Administrator and Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator, penned this op-ed urging EPA to use a class-based approach to regulate PFAS in order to more quickly address the growing risks of these chemicals to the American people.