Government Shutdown Would Further Delay Superfund Work

Feb 14, 2019 / by

Nora Saks /

Montana Public Radio

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former EPA Director, Office of Science & Technology in the Office of Water, is interviewed about the progress on Montana’s Superfund cleanup sites being put in jeopardy once again by a potential second government shutdown.

EPA’s Top Leaders Stymied Research Unit, Report Finds

Feb 14, 2019 / by

Heidi Vogt /

Wall Street Journal

EPN member Bernard Goldstein, former EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, is quoted in this article on an EPA research unit tasked with evaluating chemicals’ health risks hindered by the agency’s top leadership.

EPA Sets Toxins Response Plan Amid Criticism from Lawmakers

Feb 14, 2019 / by

Ellen Knickmeyer and John Flesher /

Associated Press

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former EPA Director, Office of Science & Technology in the Office of Water, is quoted in this article about EPA’s expected plan to deal with “forever” PFAS chemicals amid complaints from Congress and environmentalists that is has not moved aggressively enough to regulate them.

US EPA Could ‘Split’ Permitting Changes from Coal Plant Rule, Air Chief Says

Feb 12, 2019 / by

Zack Hale /

S&P Global

EPN member Joe Goffman, former EPA Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel in the Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about the EPA, as part of its proposed Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, waiving New Source Review (NSR) permitting requirements for coal-fired power plants seeking to make efficiency upgrades known as heat-rate improvements that are not projected to result in an hourly emissions rate increase.

U.S. Greenhouse Gases Dip Slightly in 2017, EPA Data Show

Feb. 12, 2019 / by

Abby Smith /

Bloomberg Environment

EPN member Joe Goffman, former EPA Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel in the Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about the EPA-reported dip in emissions resulting largely from the continued move toward cleaner burning fuels—such as natural gas and renewable energy—to produce electricity, and away from carbon-intensive coal.

Major Drop in EPA FY18 Enforcement Bolsters Criticism of Trump Agenda

Feb 11, 2019 / by

David LaRoss /

Inside EPA

EPN member Cynthia Giles, former EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, is quoted in this article about sharp drops in in EPA’s civil and criminal penalties, site inspections and other measures under the Trump administration.

EPA Enforcement Drops Sharply in Trump’s 2nd Year in Office

Feb 8, 2019 / by

Ellen Knickmeyer /

Associated Press

EPN member Cynthia Giles, former EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, is quoted in this article about civil and criminal crackdowns on polluters dropping significantly in the 2nd year of the Trump Administration. This piece also ran in The Seattle Times.

Polluters Are Paying Much Lower Fines Under Trump, EPA Says

Feb 8, 2019 / by

Anna M. Phillips /

Los Angeles Times

EPN members Dave Coursen, former EPA Office of General Counsel, and Cynthia Giles, former EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, are quoted in this article about an 80% drop in some penalties levied against polluters, signaling that the EPA has become a less aggressive watchdog:. The piece also ran in Press of Atlantic City, among other outlets.

Under Trump, EPA Inspections Fall to a 10-Year Low

Feb 8, 2019 / by

Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis /

The Washington Post

EPN member Cynthia Giles, former EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, is quoted in this article about the EPA inspecting fewer industrial facilities during 2018 than at any time over the past decade.

Agency Set to Issue Clean Power Plan Replacement This Spring

Feb 8, 2019 / by

Niina Heikkinen /

E&E News

EPN member Joe Goffman, former EPA Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel in the Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article about the EPA’s plans to finalize the Affordable Clean Energy rule in the second quarter of 2019.

Last Government Shutdown Offers Lessons on Avoiding Another

Feb 6, 2019 / by

Joel Mintz /

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Joel Mintz, EPN member and former EPA Enforcement and Supervisory Attorney, wrote this op-ed about the many lessons to be learned by our political leaders and the public at large from the recent government shutdown.

Use Tariffs to Fight a Real Emergency: Climate Change

Feb 7, 2019 / by

Dan Reich /

The Hill

EPN member Dan Reich, former EPA Assistant Regional Counsel, Region 9, wrote this op-ed  about using tariffs to address the real and present danger of climate change.

Colorado Morning News Interview with Betsy Southerland

Feb 6, 2019 / by

Marty Lenz /

KOA-AM

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former EPA Director, Office of Science & Technology in the Office of Water, was interviewed by KOA-AM on the State of the Union address.

Former EPA Official Asks for Polymet IG Probe

Feb 5, 2019 / by

Dylan Brown /

E&E News

EPN member Jeffry Fowley, former EPA General Attorney, is quoted in this article about Fowley’s request that the agency’s Office of Inspector General investigate allegations of misconduct in EPA Region 5. Jeff is also quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on the same topic.

‘EPA was always bad on drinking water’

Feb 5, 2019 / by

Ariel Wittenberg /

E&E News

Ronnie Levin, EPN member and former EPA Senior Scientist in Region 1, is quoted in this article about public health advocates finding last week’s reports that EPA would not set a legal limit for toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water disappointing, but not surprising.

The Trump Administration Is Jeopardizing Public Health

Jan 28, 2019 / by

Betsy Southerland and Jacob Carter /

Scientific American

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former EPA Director, Office of Science & Technology in the Office of Water, co-wrote an op-ed about the administration’s long list of regulatory rollbacks that put public health in jeopardy.

Trump Rollbacks for Fossil Fuel Industries Carry Steep Cost

Jan 27, 2019 / by

Matthew Brown /

Associated Press

EPN members Jeff Alson, former EPA Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor in the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, and Joe Goffman, former EPA Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel in the Office of Air and Radiation, are quoted in this article about 11 major energy sector rules targeted for repeal or relaxation and how these actions would boost businesses and harm society according to the administration’s own estimates.

U.S. Government Shutdown Threatens New-Car Rollouts, Automakers Say

Jan 25, 2019 / by

Valerie Volcovici /

Reuters

EPN member Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6 and Acting Deputy Administrator, is quoted in this article about the partial U.S. government shutdown threatening to delay the rollout of new vehicle models in the U.S. by stalling required certifications from the EPA.

Trump’s EPA Punishes Polluters Less Than Other Administrations

Jan 24, 2019 / by

Natasha Bach /

Fortune

Cynthia Giles, EPN member and former EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, is quoted in this article about her analysis of EPA data that shows an 85% decrease in civil penalties for polluters under the Trump administration.

Civil Penalties for Polluters Dropped Dramatically in Trump’s First Two Years, Analysis Shows

Jan 24, 2019 / by

Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis /

The Washington Post

Cynthia Giles, EPN member and former EPA Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, is quoted in this article about her analysis that shows civil penalties for polluters under the Trump administration plummeted during the past fiscal year to the lowest average level since 1994.

Industry, EPA Alumni Find Flaws in EPA Fluorochemical Reviews

Jan 23, 2019 / by

Sylvia Carignan /

Bloomberg Environment

EPN’s PFAS comments are referenced in this article on EPA’s reports on the health hazards of chemicals GenX and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), which many groups say came too late, weren’t done correctly, and fail to address the chemicals’ presence in drinking water across the country.

EPA Model for Measuring Rule Benefits May Inspire Other Agencies

Jan 22, 2019 / by

Stephen Lee /

Bloomberg Environment

Janet McCabe, EPN member and Advisor and former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, is quoted in this article, which discusses how limiting the positives of a rule by discounting its “co-benefits,” as the EPA proposed last month with its mercury emissions regulation, allows agencies to tweak their regulations in ways that are friendlier to those covered by them.

Critics Slam WOTUS Economics: ‘In theory, pigs could fly’

Jan 21, 2019 / by

Ariel Wittenberg /

E&E News

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former EPA Director, Office of Science & Technology in the Office of Water, is quoted in this E&E article about environmental experts who say closing the gap between current federal waterway protections and the administration’s proposed Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule will be all but impossible given state laws limiting environmental regulations or imposing budgetary restrictions.

The Trump Shutdown Is an Environmental Crisis

Jan 21, 2019 / by

Emily Atkin /

The New Republic

EPN member Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, is quoted in this article about the growing risks from the partial government shutdown, not only to the economic security of some Americans, but the health of us all.