In the News

Mustafa Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article discussing the risk to black Alabamans associated with Governor Kay Ivey’s decision not to order a shelter in place in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

EPN members Dan Costa (former National Program Director, EPA Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program), Kathy Kaufman (former RIA team lead within EPA’s Air Economics Group), Margo Oge (former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality), and Betsy Southerland (former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water), were quoted in this article on opposition to the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks within EPA.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted by Reuters in a piece explaining how U.S. emission rules encourage less fuel efficient vehicles such as SUVs and trucks. This article was reprinted by The New York Times.

Cynthia Giles, EPN member and former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance was quoted in this article concerning the oil industry seeking pollution waivers due to the strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article was reprinted by Time Magazine, The New York Times, Sioux City Journal, Globe Gazette, WGN Radio, and several others. Similar articles were published by ABC News, Fox News, Mother Jones, Politico, Tech Crunch, The Hill, The New York Times, and S&P Global, which mentioned EPN.

Stan Meiburg, EPN member and former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article regarding the pace of EPA rollbacks, including the proposed “censored science” rule, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This article was reprinted by the Bradenton Herald.

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, published this op-ed drawing parallels between action on COVID-19 and climate change. 

EPN was mentioned in this article on the EPA risk evaluation of the chemical trichloroethylene (TCE).

Jeff Alson, EPN member and former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was interviewed on this podcast discussing the lack of scientific credibility associated with the EPA’s Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule. 

EPN members, Janet McCabe (former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation), John Bachmann (former Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards), and Joe Goffman (former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation) were quoted in this article on the potential derailment of EPA energy and climate rollbacks by the COVID-19 pandemic. EPN also was mentioned in this article. 

Mustafa Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, published this op-ed concerning the lack of resources accessible to frontline communities in combating COVID-19. Mustafa also wrote an op-ed in U.S. News on the environmental justice implications of COVID-19. 

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article on the Department of Defense’s ongoing and protracted cleanup of PFAS contaminated sites.

Joe Goffman, EPN member and former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in this article on the Trump administration’s ambivalence toward warnings concerning the national security threats of pandemics.

EPN members Cynthia Giles, former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance; Mark Ryan, former EPA Regional Counsel, Region 10; and Eric Schaeffer, former director of EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement quoted in this article considering how COVID-19 could impact the ability of EPA to enforce environmental regulations. This article was reprinted by The Washington Post.

EPN members Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting Deputy Administrator and Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, were quoted in this article concerning the impacts of COVID-19 on the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks. Betsy was also quoted in a similar article by Politico.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, penned this op-ed about the environmental justice implications of COVID-19. Mustafa also wrote two op-eds in The Guardian on the inequities of the COVID-19 pandemic and how EPA’s suspension of enforcement exacerbates COVID-19 mortality rates.

Judith Enck, EPN member and former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, was quoted in this article on PFAS chemicals being found in New York State water bodies. 

 EPN members Cynthia Giles former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and Janet McCabe former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, published this op-ed on how the new NEPA revisions are enabling developers to get around environmental reviews.

Cynthia Giles, EPN member and former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, was quoted in this article on the Department of Justice no longer allowing polluters to pay for Special Environmental Projects (SEPs) as a way of reducing their civil penalties. 

Frank Lyons, EPN member and former Regional Administrator of EPA Region 5, was quoted in this article on polluters no longer being able to use SEPs to reduce their civil penalties.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article on a prospective $20 Billion EPA grant program being sought by Senate Democrats that would go toward PFAS cleanups.

Jeff Alson, EPN member and former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article regarding electric cars and the EPA’s role in setting automobile emission standards.

Janet McCabe, former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in this article concerning a toxic polluting facility that was approved by the state of Indiana and the associated public health effects.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article regarding the latest copy of the EPA’s “censored science” rule that was released from the White House. This article was reprinted in Science Magazine. Similar articles quoting Betsy on this topic were published in Commom Dreams (reprinted in BuzzFlash) and in Waat’s Up With That?.

Janet McCabe, EPN member and former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation was quoted in this article on Indiana cities developing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A similar article was published by Inside Indiana Business.