EPN Comments on Establishment of Plan to Track the Adoption of Bilingual Labeling on End Use Pesticide Labels
EPN submitted comments to EPA recommending improvements for their plan to track bilingual pesticide labels.
EPN In Action January-February 2025
Welcome to your EPN In Action Newsletter
Highlights
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EPN submitted comments to EPA recommending improvements for their plan to track bilingual pesticide labels.
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EPN sent a letter to EPA requesting to extend the public comment period on a petition from 11 State Attorneys General that could limit state authority over pesticide regulations.
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EPN submitted comments on the draft guidance document issued by EPA for antimicrobial towelettes used as disinfectants.
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EPN sent a letter to current EPA staff, signed by almost 600 former EPA employees, expressing our unwavering support amidst the blistering attacks on civil servants by the Trump administration.
Announcements
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During the first two months of 2024, EPN connected over 50 volunteers to over 400 requests for technical assistance from frontline communities, nonprofit organizations, law clinics, under-resourced government agencies and others—including hundreds of requests from federal grantees that were frozen out of their funds, terminated, or otherwise under attack.
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EPN hosted two webinars with over 350 attendees to provide resources to grantees navigating federal funding, sent updates and potential actions to hundreds of grantees, and hosted numerous webinars for cohorts of grantees and other technical assistance providers.
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EPN launched resources and services for current EPA staff, including a job board, helpful links and FAQs, and how to reconnect with EPA alumni for additional support.
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EPN volunteers were featured in dozens of media outlets and authored several op-eds. EPN continues to provide in-depth, insightful background information to numerous reporters, congressional staffers, and nonprofits.
EPN’s Work on Pesticides
EPN Urges EPA to Extend Public Comment Period on Pesticide Regulation Petition
EPN sent a letter to EPA requesting to extend the public comment period on a petition from 11 State Attorneys General that could limit state authority over pesticide regulations.
EPN Comments on the Draft Guidance Document for “Evaluating the Efficacy of Pre-Saturated/Impregnated Antimicrobial Towelettes for Disinfection Claims”
EPN submitted comments on the draft guidance document issued by EPA for "Evaluating the Efficacy of Pre-Saturated/Impregnated Antimicrobial Towelettes for Disinfectant Claims" and provided recommendations to implement efficacy studies or change labeling language for the products.
EPN’s Work Supporting EPA’s Workforce
Walter Mugdan, former Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in Planet Detroit about employees in EPA’s Ann Arbor, MI, office that fear for their jobs after Trump’s Schedule Policy/Career executive order could call for firings of qualified workers and politicize research activities. Matt Tejada, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil rights, and Michelle Roos were both quoted in Newsweek about the Trump administration’s move to put 168 EPA environmental justice staffers on administrative leave. The decision will disproportionately affect low-income communities who are already burdened with high levels of pollution. Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, was quoted in The New York Times about how Trump is undermining his deregulatory agenda by firing the agency staff needed to write new regulations.
Workforce in the News
Ann Arbor EPA Office May be Targeted by Trump’s Attack on Environmental Regulation
Trump’s Push to End DEI Sharply Impacts EPA’s Environmental Justice Office
Environmentalists Gear Up to Fight Trump in Court
EPN Volunteer Op-Eds
EPN volunteers penned their own op-eds about the lingering dangers of the Los Angeles wildfires, the importance of environmental justice in government, and how Trump’s proposed budget and staff cuts to EPA will devastate its ability to operate. Judith Enck and Heather McTeer Toney co-wrote an op-ed in The Hill about the houses burned in the Los Angeles wildfires and the burned plastic that will leave toxic pollution in the drinking water, air, and soil for generations. Matt Tejada, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office for Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, wrote an opinion piece in Environmental Health News about the value of environmental justice in EPA. February 27, 2025 / by William K. Reilly, Christine Todd Whitman, and Gina McCarthy / The New York Times Bill Reilly, Christine Todd Whitman, and Gina McCarthy, all former EPA Administrators, co-wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about the fundamental role EPA plays behind the scenes in enforcement, emergency response, and state support, and how Trump’s proposed budget and staff cuts will devastate the agency’s ability to operate.
The Los Angeles Wildfires Are Finally Contained, But Californians Still Aren’t Safe
America, This is What Environmental Justice Is — And What We All Stand to Lose
Three Former E.P.A. Leaders: You’ll Miss It When It’s Gone
More Examples of EPN in the News
EPN volunteers were quoted in additional articles about EPA layoffs, as well as air pollution and safe levels for black plastic consumption.
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in The Guardian about congressional Republican efforts to repeal multiple EPA rules via the Congressional Review Act, including the mandate to replace all lead service lines by 2028. Mike Koerber, former Deputy Director, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, was quoted in ProPublica about EPA’s ethylene oxide rule adopted last year and the potential for it to provide much-needed protection for those living near sterilization facilities. Mustafa Santiago Ali, former EPA Senior Advisor and Assistant Associate Administrator; Stan Meiburg, former Acting Deputy Administrator; and Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, Office of Research and Development, were quoted in The Hill about the firings of probationary employees and the consequences it will have on EPA and the Department of Interior.
Republicans Move to Repeal Lead Limits Imposed by Biden-Era Rules
How Trump’s EPA Threatens Efforts to Clean Up Areas Affected Most by Dangerous Air Pollution
What Environmental Agency Firings Could Mean for Energy, Pollution, National Parks
Michelle Roos; David Cash, former Regional Administrator, Region 1; and Denny Dart, former Environmental Engineering Manager, Region 1, were quoted about layoffs at EPA, which will affect the enforcement of environmental statutes, and the on-again off-again uncertainty surrounding EPA grants that has put hundreds of projects in jeopardy. Tracey Woodruff, former EPA Senior Scientist and Policy Advisor, was quoted in The Washington Post about black plastic being unsafe when consumed at any level, despite EPA’s claims of safety at higher levels. Zealan Hoover, former Senior Advisor to EPA Administrator and Director of Implementation, was quoted in Time about how those benefitting from EPA grant funding are those most overburdened by pollution and how these populations span communities of all demographics.
Trump Administration Restores Environmental Grants, But Advocates Remain Worried
Here’s the Real Concern When It Comes to Black Plastic
How Trump’s Attacks on DEI Are Hurting Communities That Voted for Him