States Move To Enforce Court Block Of Funding Freeze, Citing Violations
Michelle Roos was quoted in Inside EPA about the Trump administration not complying with a temporary restraining order against withholding federal funding and the implications it has had on community projects across the country.
EPA’s Environmental Justice Office in Tatters
Matt Tejada, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, was quoted in Politico about the environmental justice staff put on leave saying that “Without them, communities will face increased levels of toxic pollution, another generation of children drinking lead contaminated water, and the persistent damage to our nation’s health and wealth.”
Trump’s EPA to Prioritize AI, Lobbyists and Staff Cuts in ‘Mission to Traumatize’
Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, and Judith Enck, former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was also quoted in The Guardian about EPA’s “5 pillar agenda” under Trump that prioritizes artificial intelligence.
Trump’s Push to End DEI Sharply Impacts EPA’s Environmental Justice Office
Matt Tejada, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil rights, and Michelle Roos were both quoted in Newsweek about the Trump administration’s move to put 168 EPA environmental justice staffers on administrative leave. The decision will disproportionately affect low-income communities who are already burdened with high levels of pollution.
How Trump’s EPA Threatens Efforts to Clean Up Areas Affected Most by Dangerous Air Pollution
Mike Koerber, former Deputy Director, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, was quoted in ProPublica about EPA’s ethylene oxide rule adopted last year and the potential for it to provide much-needed protection for those living near sterilization facilities.
Trump Seeking Major Staff Cutback At Federal Environment Agencies
Walter Mugdan, former Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2 and EPN’s recent media briefing were mentioned in an article by Inside EPA about Trump’s plans to reassign senior career staff to new posts in new offices.
Republicans Move to Repeal Lead Limits Imposed by Biden-Era Rules
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in The Guardian about congressional Republican efforts to repeal multiple EPA rules via the Congressional Review Act, including the mandate to replace all lead service lines by 2028.
Why ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are So Hard to Regulate
Ronnie Levin, former Senior Scientist, EPA Region 1, was quoted in Newsweek about the challenges of regulating PFAS as a class of chemicals and why industry will continue to create new forms of PFAS if there is no government pressure to seek alternatives.
E.P.A. Tells More Than 1,000 They Could Be Fired ‘Immediately’
Michelle Roos was quoted in The New York Times about EPA’s recent announcement to over 1,000 employees that they are on probation and could be fired at any time. Michelle called it “the most chaotic and vindictive transition in the history of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
More Than 1,100 EPA Employees Warned of Immediate Termination
Michelle Roos was quoted from an EPN press event about the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” offer and the federal funding freeze that continues to affect grantees and EPA employees.
Trump Funding Freeze Drives Confusion Among EPA Employees, Contractors
EPN partner Jillian Blanchard, Vice President of Climate and Environmental Justice, Lawyers for Good Government, was a speaker at EPN’s media presser and quoted in Inside EPA.
EPA Union Membership Surges as Trump Targets Federal Workers
EPN’s media presser was also mentioned in an article by Politico about rapid growth in EPA’s largest union, AFGE. AFGE union representative Marie Owens Powell was a speaker on the presser.
EPA Orders Employees to Stop Billing to Climate, Infrastructure Laws
Michelle Roos was quoted in Politico about the federal funding freeze and stop work orders that went out to grantees and EPA employees.
Ann Arbor EPA Office May be Targeted by Trump’s Attack on Environmental Regulation
Walter Mugdan, former Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in Planet Detroit about employees in EPA’s Ann Arbor, MI, office that fear for their jobs after Trump’s Schedule Policy/Career executive order could call for firings of qualified workers and politicize research activities.
Trump’s EPA Has Deleted All Web References to Climate Change
Michelle Roos was quoted in Jacobin about the Trump administration scrubbing federal websites of invaluable data and erasing all webpages with the words “climate change” and obstructing science.
EPA Union Sees Risk to Environmental Justice Jobs as Morale Dips
Michelle Roos was quoted in Bloomberg Law from an EPN press event about the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” offer and the federal funding freeze that continues to affect grantees and EPA employees.
‘This Week Has Been hell,’ EPA Defenders Say
Michelle Roos was quoted in E&E News about the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” offer and the federal funding freeze that continues to affect grantees and EPA employees.
‘Using the Devil’s Own Tools Against Them’: Abortion Opponents Turn to Environmental Laws
Tracey Woodruff, former EPA senior scientist and policy advisor in the Office of Policy, was quoted in Politico about anti-abortion groups’ false claims that Mifepristone, an abortion pill, causes harm to the environment. Tracey clarified that pharmaceuticals are in our water supply and enter via industrial farms, not human consumption.
Critics File Early Suits On EPA Assaults But Brace For Deregulatory Wave
Jeremy Symons, Consultant and Senior Advisor to EPN, was quoted in Inside EPA about the dangers of Russ Vought’s plan for EPA and cites EPN polling data that shows that the American public is in favor of strengthening EPA.
‘They’ll Have to Drag Me Out Before I Go.’ EPA Workers Stand Firm Despite Trump Chaos
Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, was quoted in High Country News about the approximately $37 billion in EPA grant and program funding that is frozen and the consequences of pausing this funding.
As EPA Considers Cancer Links to Nitrates in Drinking Water, Industry Downplays the Risks
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in U.S. Right to Know about the prevalence of nitrate and nitrite contaminated drinking water and how the Trump administration will likely slow down or derail updated assessments for the chemicals.
Federal Workers Ponder an Existential Question: Do I Pack Up and Quit?
Michelle Roos, Executive Director of EPN, was quoted in The Wall Street Journal about an email sent out to two million federal employees earlier this week that offered a
“deferred resignation” in an attempt to scare employees into quitting.
House Democrat Floats PFAS ‘Essentiality Framework’ For TSCA Reform
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Inside EPA about how regulating PFAS compounds as a class can still leave room for essential uses and remove the need for individually reviewing each compound.
NASEM Panel To Hold First Public Meeting To Study PFAS In Agriculture
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Inside EPA about the presence of PFAS on agricultural land and if the public will ever see a final risk assessment on the matter.