In the News

Mike Shapiro, EPN member and former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article regarding EPA’s proposal to include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as a class of pollutants in its next Candidate Contaminant List regulatory cycle.

EPN members Linda Birnbaum (former Director of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and former EPA scientist), Tom Burke (former Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development), Dan Costa (former National Program Director, Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program, EPA Office of Research and Development), and Bernard Goldstein (former EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and Development) were quoted in this article expressing concern that the Biden administration has yet named a nominee for assistant administrator of the EPA Office of Research and Development.

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 discussing how the House’s proposed fiscal year 2022 budget for EPA would support the agency’s ability to once again function effectively.

Bob Sussman, EPN member, former EPA Deputy Administrator, and former Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator, was quoted in this article discussing EPA’s decision to stop issuance of and rollback previously-granted low-volume exemptions from TSCA review for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

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 impacts the climate crisis is having on communities.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, penned this op-ed urging President Biden to take more significant action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation industry for post-2026 regulations.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article discussing the fuel economy standards EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be setting in the near future.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article regarding Toyota’s efforts to stall policy on electric vehicles.

Jim Woolford, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, penned this op-ed discussing why per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances should be designated as hazardous substances under the Superfund law.

Linda Birnbaum, EPN member, former Director of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and former EPA scientist, was quoted in this piece about the negative health impacts of living near fracking sites.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member, 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 EPA’s proposal to create a national environmental justice program led by a newly-created assistant administrator position.

Mike Shapiro, EPN member and former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Water, was quoted and EPN was cited in this article regarding EPA’s plan to include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on its contaminant candidate list, potentially placing them under future Safe Drinking Water Act regulations.

Jim Jones, EPN member and former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, wrote this op-ed discussing the proposed PFAS Action Act, clarifying the importance of a hazardous substance designation for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Cynthia Giles, EPN member and former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, was interviewed on this podcast discussing how to decrease the rate of non-compliance with environmental laws.

Alexis Strauss, EPN member; former EPA Senior Policy Advisor; and former Acting Regional Administrator, EPA Region 9, was quoted in this article discussing potential ways to speed up the hiring process at EPA.

Stan Meiburg, North Carolina Environmental Management Commission Chairman, EPN member, and former EPA Acting Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article regarding efforts led by environmental groups to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in North Carolina.

Linda Birnbaum, EPN member, former Director of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and former EPA scientist, was quoted in this article regarding the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in oil and gas drilling and fracking operations. She was quoted in related articles appearing in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Allegheny Front.

Frank Princiotta, EPN member and former Director, Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division, EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory, authored this article examining the mitigation actions needed for the United States to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, National Wildlife Federation vice president, EPN member, former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article concerning efforts by the Biden administration to eliminate “sacrifice zones.”

Judith Enck, EPN member, founder of Beyond Plastics, and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article discussing the influence fossil fuel companies have been exerting on regulatory legislation as they shift to the plastic production market.

Linda Birnbaum, EPN member, former Director of NIEHS, and former EPA scientist, was quoted in this article describing the harmful impacts per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have on human health.

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.