In the News

EPN member Jeff Alson, former EPA Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, is quoted in this article about his accusation that Administrator Andrew Wheeler lied in a letter he wrote to Congress Tuesday that denied agency staff were shut out as EPA developed a controversial rollback on Obama-era fuel standards. Similar stories ran in Bloomberg Environment and Greenwire.

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 about the “best system of emission reduction” (BSER) term in the Clean Air Act after EPA released its replacement rule for the Clean Power Plan, focusing on the legal ramifications of re-interpreting BSER to create a more narrow standard. Similar stories ran in Climatewire and Inside EPA.

Joe Goffman, EPN member and former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was interviewed on this radio segment about the new Affordable Clean Energy rule, its questionable legality, and its potential negative effects on state regulators and energy markets.

EPN members Joe Goffman, former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, and Janet McCabe, former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, are quoted in this article about the costs of the new ACE rule exceeding its benefits by as much as $980 million per year when its modest cuts in ozone and particulate matter aren’t counted in its favor — something the Trump administration has advocated in other rules.

EPN member Joe Goffman, former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about the ACE rule’s risky legal interpretation arguing that the agency is prohibited from issuing the types of broad greenhouse gas standards that were included in the CPP in a bid to block a future administration from re-imposing similarly expansive requirements.

Dr. Bernard Goldstein, EPN member and former chair, EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, and former EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, wrote this op-ed about Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s misinterpretation of a double-blind study and the current lack of knowledgeable scientific leadership and appreciation for accurate scientific advice at EPA.

EPN member Betsy Southerland, former Director, EPA Office of Science and Technology in the Office of Water, was quoted in this article about President Trump’s executive order to cut one-third of all science advisory committees; while administration officials claim this will help save government resources, opponents argue it could further undermine the role of science in informing federal policymaking.

EPN member John Bachmann, former Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, was quoted in this article about renewed calls for EPA Administrator Wheeler to reinstate the Particulate Matter Review Panel under CASAC, with critics pointing out similarities to the Trump Administrations’ broader attacks on the role of science in policy-making.

Janet McCabe, EPN member and former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about EPA finalizing its plan to relax limits on greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants.

EPN member, Ellen Kurlansky, former EPA Air Policy Analyst and Advisor, is quoted in this article about Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s announcement Wednesday that EPA’s replacement for the Clean Power Plan, which aimed to reduce carbon emissions from the energy sector to combat climate change, has been finalized.

EPN members, Ellen Kurlansky, former EPA Air Policy Analyst and Advisor, Joe Goffman, former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, and Janet McCabe, former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, are quoted in this article about EPA Administrator Wheeler’s announcement Wednesday of the Agency’s replacement for the Clean Power Plan, which had aimed to reduce CO2 levels from energy production by a third by 2030. The new rule stipulates that to reduce emissions, coal-fired power plants only need to install more efficient technology.

EPN member Joe Goffman, former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this InsideClimate News article about the narrowly written replacement to the Clean Power Plan that the Trump administration conceded would accomplish less than the rule it threw out and would be only a tiny fraction cleaner than leaving one of the main sources of greenhouse gases completely unregulated. A similar article also ran in The Guardian.

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 about the Trump administration finalizing the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which EPA claims can cut pollution without damaging the coal industry. Similar articles ran in Thomson Reuters Foundation News, The Washington Examiner and Earth.com.

EPN member Joe Goffman, former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about Administrator Wheeler signing the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, the replacement for the Clean Power Plan that contains much less stringent federal requirements for power plants. The story also ran in WMC 5, and a similar stories ran in CBS News, ABC News and KTUU.

Janet McCabe, EPN member and former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this audio clip about EPA’s replacement for the Clean Power Plan, which would loosen requirements that protect Americans from air pollution. (Clips starts at approximately 2:24).

EPN member Janet McCabe, former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about EPA’s plan to replace the Clean Power Plan with a rule that supports the fossil fuel industry instead of cleaner energy sources. A similar article ran in GreenTechMedia.

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 about EPA Administrator Wheeler’s replacement for the Clean Power Plan, which would apply more lenient restrictions while propping up the coal industry. Similar stories also ran in Earth News and Voice of America.

Janet McCabe, EPN member and former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about the rumored unveiling of EPA’s rewrite of the Clean Power Plan, which would replace sweeping curbs on power plant emissions with requirements for modest upgrades the sites. This piece also ran in Yahoo Finance and Stars and Stripes.

EPN advisor Bob Perciasepe, former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article about American air quality stagnating after years of improvement. This article also ran in the New York Post and MarketWatch.

EPN member Chris Zarba, former Director, EPA Science Advisory Board, is quoted in this article about President Trump’s executive order to cut the number of government advisory committees by a third across all federal agencies, a move that former heads of EPA and the Interior Department say would weaken the science-based regulations process that the administration has pushed back against since Trump took office. Excerpts from this article also ran in Zodab.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, was quoted in this article about President Trump’s executive order that requires cutting one-third of all eligible federal advisory committees, which further undermines the role of expert advice and scientific data in policy-making.

EPN members Bob Kavlock, former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, and former EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, and Chris Zarba, former Director, EPA Science Advisory Board, are quoted in this article about the executive order released Friday that could make more than half of EPA’s science advisory committees vulnerable to repeal by the end of the fiscal year.

EPN member Mustafa Santiago Ali, former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, was interviewed about the disproportionate effects of climate change on communities of color and how the climate crisis will affect these low-income communities the most. (Clip starts at approximately 1:22.)

EPN members Mustafa Santiago Ali, former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and former Acting Deputy Administrator, are quoted in this this article about the executive order President Trump signed late Friday to cut the number of government advisory committees by a third across all federal agencies—a move many believe is the Trump administration’s latest effort to undermine science-based and fact-supported decision-making. This story also ran in NBC Palm Springs and SocioHerald.