In the News

EPN member Tom Burke, former EPA Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development (ORD), was quoted in this article about sweeping changes at EPA that are sidelining scientific expertise and damaging the integrity of the agency’s advisory committees.

EPN member Joel Mintz, former EPA Enforcement and Supervisory Attorney, wrote this op-ed about the rise and potential decline of anti-regulatory conservatism, focusing on a 1971 memo that encouraged business leaders to enter the political arena and resist regulatory initiatives.

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 a Senate probe into potential ethics violations by an ex-Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation in a meeting with former law firm colleagues.

EPN members Dan Costa, former National Program Director, EPA Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program, and Mustafa Santiago Ali, former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, were quoted in this article about growing restrictions and procedures governing interactions between government scientists and reporters; however, a recent Congressional bill aims to make contacting experts much easier.

Mustafa Santiago 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 about a recent Congressional bill that aims to transition the country towards clean energy while creating numerous well-paying jobs along the way.

Joel Mintz, EPN member and former EPA Enforcement and Supervisory Attorney, wrote this op-ed about President Trump’s speech on environmental leadership, focusing on the abundant contradictions between the administration’s deregulatory agenda and the president’s supposed commitment to sustainability.

EPN member Tom Burke, former EPA Science Advisor and former Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development, was quoted in this article about Administrator Wheeler’s silence on a request from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) to reconstitute a recently-abolished panel on particulate matter and the effects this will have on CASAC’s ability to properly review air quality standards.

Tom Burke, EPN member, former EPA Science Advisor and former Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development, was quoted in this article about his testimony at a Congressional hearing on the Trump Administration’s attacks on science, from barring scientists with EPA grants from serving on its advisory boards to a recent executive order requiring agencies to slash at least one-third of all eligible advisory committees. Similar articles ran in E&E and Courthouse News Service.

Tom Burke, EPN member and former EPA Science Advisor, and former Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development, was quoted in this article about toxic waste and contaminants dislodged during natural disasters, which is becoming an increasingly important concern given the severity of extreme weather events due to climate change and the lack of clean-up resources after a community is hit by such an event.

EPN member Christopher Zarba, former Director, EPA Science Advisory Board, was quoted in this article about new appointees to EPA’s science advisory panels and the inconsistent process applied for vetting these new members, outlined in a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Christopher Zarba, EPN member and former Director, EPA Science Advisory Board, was quoted in this article about a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found that EPA ignored several ethics rules and administrative procedures when overhauling its science advisory panels. This article ran in numerous other publications, including ABC, US News, and The Telegram.

EPN member Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article about a report from EPA’s Office of the Inspector General that found deficiencies in tracking environmental data, relaying health risks to citizens, overseeing states, and managing its staff’s workload.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, was interviewed along with Collin O’Mara from The National Wildlife Federation on this segment about climate change and the disproportionate effects of pollution on minority and low-income populations.

Bill Muno, EPN member and former Superfund Director in EPA Region 5, was quoted in this article about a Congressional effort to attach provisions that would require EPA action on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the next two years to a must-pass military spending bill. This article also ran in the Bucks County Courier Times.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, was interviewed in this segment about EPA’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which replaces the Clean Power Plan (CPP) and is projected to increase the number of premature deaths due to air pollution in America. (Clip starts at 1:00).  This article and video also appeared in KTUU.

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’s new interpretation of the term “best system of emission reduction” in the Clean Air Act, which could legally prevent future administrations from curtailing air pollutants.

EPN member Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Regions 4 and 6, as well as former Acting Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article about a speech on environmental leadership by President Trump where he touted significant progress on clean air and water, which was actually generated by previous administrations and external forces.

EPN member Mustafa Santiago Ali, former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, was quoted in this article about President Trump’s speech on his administration’s environmental achievements, including rollbacks of important regulations on methane emissions and pollution from transportation and power plants.

EPN members Betsy Southerland, former Director, EPA Office of Science and Technology in the Office of Water, and Joe Goffman, former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, were quoted in this article about President Trump’s speech that emphasized that environmental leadership means saving the fossil fuel industry at the expense of public health.

EPN members Jeff Alson, former EPA Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, and Mustafa Santiago Ali, former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, were quoted in this article on President Trump’s speech that claimed leadership on environmental policies, while the administration simultaneously rolls back important public health regulations and props up the coal industry. This article also ran in Washington Post, US News, RealClearPolitics, KTLA, LancasterOnline, The Spokesman Review, Global News, My Stateline, StarTribune, and The Daily News.

EPN members Mustafa Santiago Ali, former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and Joe Goffman, former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, are quoted in this article about Trump’s environmental leadership speech and inconsistencies between his rhetoric and actions, as the administration has been focused on slashing climate regulations.

Stan Meiburg, EPN member and former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Regions 4 and 6, as well as former Acting Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article about President Trump’s pledge to support clean air and water during a speech on environmental leadership, despite his administration rolling back dozens of regulations on pollution.

David Coursen, EPN member and former EPA Office of General Counsel, wrote this op-ed about the Trump Administration’s attacks on state-level environmental protection efforts, from proposed budget cuts for brownfield programs to potential rescindment of waivers that allow states to set standards that are more stringent than at the federal level.

Janet McCabe, EPN member and former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in this article about air quality in Terre Haute and two locations that have now met the National Ambient Air Quality Standard requirements for sulfur dioxide. This article also ran in WFYI.