In the News

Betsy Southerland, former Director of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article about a petition requesting that EPA withdraw water permitting authority from North Carolina because the state’s legislature is interfering with PFAS regulation.

Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in Savannah Morning News about the Army Corps of Engineers reconsidering a permit approval for Hyundai’s Motor company to extract 6.6 million gallons of water a day from a Bryan County, GA, aquifer.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and Tracey Woodruff, ​​former EPA Senior Scientist and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at UCSF, were quoted in Inside Climate News about EPA’s use of an external review firm with ties to chemical and manufacturing industries to classify the pesticide 1,3-D.

EPN’s amicus brief filed in support of EPA’s PM2.5 NAAQS was quoted in Inside EPA. The briefing detailed that the rule aligned with EPA’s past practices and scientific methodology.

Penny Fenner-Crisp, former Senior Science Advisor to the Director, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, and Betsy Southerland, former Director of the Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, were quoted in The Guardian about the NGO run by Michael Dourson, a controversial former EPA staffer turned industry scientist, who is developing peer-reviewed science for chemical companies to use against EPA’s PFAS drinking water standards.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), was quoted in NPR about a study from the National Institutes of Health that associates high fluoride consumption from drinking water with lower IQ in children.

Ronnie Levin, former Senior Scientist, EPA Region 1, was quoted in E&E News about the role EPA is playing in Chicago’s water policy.

Margo Oge, former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, penned an op-ed in Forbes in response to a promise Trump made at the Republican National Convention, saying that he would “end the electric vehicle mandate on day one.” Margo challenges this claim by writing about the legal, policy, and economic consequences of reversing electric vehicle progress. 

Betsy Southerland, former Director of the Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in The Guardian about the World Health Organization’s decision to rescind PFAS drinking water guidelines after criticism that researchers tied to the chemical industry ignored credible research about PFAS.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, was quoted in Inside EPA from a webinar she presented, hosted by the Collaboration for Health and Environment, calling for EPA to ban micro- and nanoplastics from consumer goods and make plans to phase out chemicals used to make plastics.

Tracey Woodruff, former EPA senior scientist and policy advisor in the Office of Policy and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at UCSF, was quoted in VOA Learning English about the prevalence of microplastics in the human body and their undetermined health effects on public health.

EPN executive director Michelle Roos and Jeremy Symons, senior advisor to EPN, were mentioned in an article by E&E News after one of the authors of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025’s chapter on EPA tweeted, “Could someone get me a full list of all the folks in this group? Just asking for a friend.” The tweet was in response to E&E’s August 5, 2024, story, which highlighted EPN’s work during the previous administration. The article recalled the 1983 “hit list” of 90 EPA scientists compiled by Reagan appointees.

Bill Jordan, ​​former Deputy Director, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, was quoted in Common Dreams supporting EPA’s immediate suspension of Dacthal, a dangerous pesticide commonly used on crops such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and onions, due to its effects on unborn children.

EPN board member Stan Meiburg, EPN executive director Michelle Roos, and Jeremy Symons, senior advisor to EPN, were mentioned in an E&E News article that focused on all the accomplishments that the Environmental Protection Network has achieved over the last 3.5 years and our continued readiness to advocate for strong environmental policies.

Tracey Woodruff, former EPA senior scientist and policy advisor in the Office of Policy and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at UCSF, was quoted in AP News about the presence of microplastics in human body tissue and the concerning research emerging about how the particles affect the body.

Ronnie Levin, former Senior Scientist, EPA Region 1, was quoted in a New Republic article about how Florida is slated to receive the most federal funding to replace lead pipes around the country despite estimates of having very few lead pipes. Ronnie notes the EPA program will punish states that have been proactive about lead line replacement and will reward states that have done the least.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program, was quoted in The Guardian about the high levels of PFAS found in certain brands of condoms and lubricants and urged manufacturers to immediately remove the chemicals.

Elin Betanzo, former water quality engineer, EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water and National Tribal Drinking Water Coordinator, penned an op-ed in Planet Detroit answering commonly asked questions about Michigan’s 2018 Lead and Copper Rule revisions and providing easily accessible community data for Michigan residents.

Bob Sussman, former EPA Deputy Administrator and Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator, was quoted in Bloomberg Law about a lawsuit against the EPA arguing that the agency failed to act on conclusive data showing that PFAS harms public health, a violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Judith Enck, former Regional Administrator for EPA Region 2 and founder of Beyond Plastics, was quoted in The Washington Post about Beyond Plastics’ most recent report that called EPA to research bioplastics and expressed concern about current plastic regulations.

Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in Politico about EPA’s chapter in Project 2025 which maps out plans to cut climate regulations, going beyond what was done in Trump’s first administration.

Judith Enck, former Regional Administrator for EPA Region 2 and founder of Beyond Plastics, was quoted in The Guardian about Shell’s failed pledge to recycle plastics via pyrolysis because of slow technology development and market changes.

Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in The Lancet about how the overturning of the Chevron doctrine will slow down recent EPA regulations and federal agencies will have to be careful in interpreting legislation moving forward.

Betsy Southerland, former Director of the Office of Science and Technology in EPA’s Office of Water, was quoted in The Port City Daily about the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission delaying regulatory action on PFAS water standards.