ATSDR Warning on PFAS Worsening COVID Risks Drives New Rule Push

July 8, 2020 / by

Diana Di Gangi /

Inside EPA

Tracey Woodruff, EPN member and former EPA Senior Scientist, was quoted in this article about the potential for PFAS to undercut the ability of COVID-19 patients to fight off the virus. 

60+ Environmental Justice Advocates and Groups Issue Coronavirus Call to Action Demanding End to ‘Sacrifice Zones’

July 8, 2020 / by

Jessica Corbett /

Nation of Change

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 on calls from the environmental justice community to end COVID-19 sacrifice zones.

‘The Cost of Plastics is Lives’: House Oversight Hearing Highlights Environmental Justice Burdens of Plastic Production

July 8, 2020 / by

Dana Drugmand /

DeSmogBlog

Judith Enck, EPN member and former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, was quoted in this article regarding her testimony in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Environment regarding the “Effects of Plastic Production and Pollution on Americans’ Health During Coronavirus Crisis.” 

Amid Renewed Focus on Equity, Advocates Press Biden to Boost EJ Steps

July 7, 2020 / by

Dawn Reeves /

Inside EPA

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 regarding pressure being applied on the Biden campaign to incorporate environmental justice in its environmental plan. Mustafa was quoted in a similar article by The Rising on the need for President Trump to include environmental justice in his new environmental initiative. 

‘It’s Not Too Late’ with Ginger Zee: What You Need to Know About the Environment

July 3, 2020 / by

Ginger Zee /

ABC News

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was interviewed in this video regarding the Trump administration’s rollback of the National Environmental Policy Act.

Pollution Experts Fear EPA Cost-Benefit Rule Downplays Ozone Harms

July 2, 2020 / by

Doug Obey /

Inside EPA

Roy Gamse, EPN member and former EPA Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy, was quoted in this article on how a proposed rule modifying how benefits are calculated under Clean Air Act actions could downplay the harmful effects of ground-level ozone.

Joe Goffman Speaks with Cynthia Giles About EPA’s Enforcement During COVID-19

June 29, 2020 / by

Robin Just /

Environmental & Energy Law Program

Cynthia Giles, EPN member and former Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, was interviewed by Joe Goffman, fellow EPN member and former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, on this podcast regarding EPA’s suspension of some enforcement of environmental regulations. 

Public’s Help Needed to Develop a Plan for Elkhart to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

June 29, 2020 / by

/

95.3 MNC

Janet McCabe, EPN member and former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in this article regarding the development of a plan to reduce emissions in Elkhart, Indiana.

Air Pollution Causes Premature Death — Definitive New Harvard Study

June 29, 2020 / by

Michelle Lewis /

Electrek

John Bachmann, EPN member and former Associate Director for Science and Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, was quoted in this article concerning evidence that definitively links particulate matter to an increase in premature deaths. John was quoted in a similar article in DeSmogBlog.

For Some Environmentalists, ‘I Can’t Breathe’ is About More Than Police Brutality

June 27, 2020 / by

Isabelle Chapman and Drew Kann /

CNN

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 about how air pollution, poor water quality, and climate change exacerbate environmental justice issues. Mustafa was quoted in a similar article by Reuters.

Scientists Pin Blame for Some Coronavirus Deaths on Air Pollution, PFAS, and Other Chemicals

June 26, 2020 / by

Sharon Lerner /

The Intercept

Linda Birnbaum, EPN member, former EPA scientist, and former Director of NIEHS, was quoted in this article on the links between air pollution and PFAS to COVID-19 mortality. Linda was quoted in a similar article by Science 2.0.

Senate’s Scuttling of EPA’s No. 2 Pick Unlikely to Slow Agency

June 26, 2020 / by

Stephen Lee and Jennifer Dlouhy /

Bloomberg

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 about the delayed confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick to be EPA’s second-highest ranking official.

Destroying Forever Chemicals Ignites N.Y. Town’s ‘Worst Fears’

June 25, 2020 / by

Sylvia Carnigan and Keshia Clukey /

Bloomberg

Judith Enck, EPN member and former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, was quoted in this article on the incineration of PFAS waste in New York.  

California Ushers in an Electrifying New Era in Trucks

June 25, 2020 / by

Margo Oge /

Forbes

Margo Oge, EPN member and former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, published this op-ed on the California Air Resources Board’s decision to approve the first-ever mandate for electric commercial trucks.

Taking on Trump’s EPA Rollbacks with Betsy Southerland of the Environmental Protection Network

June 24, 2020 / by

Nathanial Pearlman /

The Great Battlefield Podcast

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director of the Office of Science and Technology in EPA’s Office of Water, was interviewed and EPN was mentioned on this podcast concerning EPA’s rollbacks under the Trump administration.  

EPA Accused of Trying to Push Through Censored Science Rule During Pandemic

June 23, 2020 / by

Aristos Georgiou /

Newsweek

EPN members Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, and Dan Costa, former National Program Director, EPA Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program, Office of Research and Development, were quoted and EPN was mentioned in this article on the Trump administration’s push to finalize the Censored Science rule during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

EPA Rejects Loophole in PFAS Rule

June 23, 2020 / by

Ariana Figueroa /

E&E News

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director of the Office of Science and Technology in EPA’s Office of Water, was quoted in this article on EPA’s decision not to weaken an existing rule that restricts the use of PFAS and other toxic chemicals in consumer products. 

Plan to Torpedo Nonbinding Guidance Docs Flies Under Radar

June 23, 2020 / by

Kelsey Brugger /

E&E News

George Wyeth, EPN member and former EPA attorney and policy analyst, was quoted in this article on a proposed EPA rule that would make it more difficult for the agency to issue guidance documents.

What Happened to the EPA?

June 22, 2020 / by

Mekita Rivas /

Shondaland

Janet McCabe, EPN member and former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in this article about EPA under the Trump administration.

Quoted: On 4th Anniversary, Critics Blast EPA’s TSCA Implementation

June 22, 2020 / by

Inside TSCA /

Inside EPA

Bob Sussman, EPN member and former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article about the fourth anniversary of the Toxic Substances Control Act.

TSCA is 4

June 22, 2020 / by

Tracey Woodruff /

University of California San Francisco

Tracey Woodruff, EPN member and former EPA Senior Scientist, published this blog post regarding the fourth anniversary of TSCA.

‘Firing Up the Bulldozers’: Revamped WOTUS is Here

June 22, 2020 / by

Hannah Northey and Jeremy P. Jacobs /

E&E News

Mark Ryan, EPN member and former EPA Regional Counsel, Region 10, was quoted in this article on the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which narrows the scope of wetlands and waterways protected under the Clean Water Act. Mark was quoted in a subsequent E&E News article on lawsuits being filed against the rule. 

Is this Controversial Weedkiller Helping or Hurting our Food Supply?

June 22, 2020 / by

Scott Tong /

Marketplace

Bill Jordan, EPN member and former Deputy Director, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, was quoted in this article regarding the herbicide dicamba and its current status in the courts. 

Louisville’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ Demonstrations Continue a Long Quest for Environmental Justice

June 21, 2020 / by

James Bruggers /

InsideClimate News

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 regarding the inclusion of environmental justice in the demands of Black Lives Matter protests in Louisville, Kentucky.