In the News

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.

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.