EPN In Action July-August 2024
Welcome to your EPN In Action newsletter!
Highlights
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EPN submitted comments on Syngenta’s application for a pesticide registration that would allow “over-the-top” use of dicamba on dicamba-resistant soybeans and cotton.
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EPN applauded the emergency suspension of the pesticide Dacthal, the first time in forty years that EPA has used this authority.
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EPN sent a letter to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO), regarding their approval of the first portfolio of transmission projects through their ongoing Long-Range Transmission Planning process.
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EPN also sent a letter to EPA expressing concerns about a plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to address flooding in the Yazoo Backwater Area.
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EPN filed an amicus brief in support of EPA’s PM2.5 NAAQS in a reconsideration case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Announcements
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During July and August, EPN connected over 60 volunteers to over 300 requests for technical assistance from frontline communities, nonprofit organizations, law clinics, under-resourced government agencies, and others.
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EPN members 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.
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EPN continues to grow! We hired Region 9 Community Outreach Associate Naomi Lichtenstein, Communications Associate Aaron Bharucha, and Operations Associate Kate Mason!
EPN’s Work on Pesticides
Bob Sussman, former EPA Deputy Administrator and Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator, was quoted in Bloomberg Law about the Loper Bright case, saying that despite the overturning of Chevron, courts can still rely on agencies for expertise and knowledge.
August 5, 2024 / by
Mike Stobbe /
AP News
Tracey Woodruff, former EPA senior scientist and policy advisor in the Office of Policy and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at UCSF, was quoted in AP News about the presence of microplastics in human body tissue and the concerning research emerging about how the particles affect the body.
Bill Jordan, former Deputy Director, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, was quoted in Common Dreams supporting EPA’s immediate suspension of Dacthal, a dangerous pesticide commonly used on crops such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and onions, due to its effects on unborn children.
EPN’s Work on Water
Ronnie Levin, former Senior Scientist, EPA Region 1, was quoted in a New Republic article about how Florida is slated to receive the most federal funding to replace lead pipes around the country despite estimates of having very few lead pipes. Ronnie notes the EPA program will punish states that have been proactive about lead line replacement and will reward states that have done the least.
Betsy Southerland, former Director of the Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in The Guardian about the World Health Organization’s decision to rescind PFAS drinking water guidelines after criticism that researchers tied to the chemical industry ignored credible research about PFAS.
August 23, 2024 / by
Pien Huang and Will Stone /
NPR
Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), was quoted in NPR about a study from the National Institutes of Health that associates high fluoride consumption from drinking water with lower IQ in children.
EPN’s Work on Clean Energy and Air
EPN Member Op-Eds
EPN members penned their own op-eds about Michigan’s progress on its Lead and Copper Rule and the consequences of reversing electric vehicle progress.
Elin Betanzo, former water quality engineer, EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water and National Tribal Drinking Water Coordinator, penned an op-ed in Planet Detroit answering commonly asked questions about Michigan’s 2018 Lead and Copper Rule revisions and providing easily accessible community data for Michigan residents.
August 13, 2024 / by
Margo Oge /
Forbes
Margo Oge, former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, penned an op-ed in Forbes in response to a promise Trump made at the Republican National Convention, saying that he would “end the electric vehicle mandate on day one.” Margo challenges this claim by writing about the legal, policy, and economic consequences of reversing electric vehicle progress.
More Examples of EPN in the News
EPN members were quoted in articles about the success of EPN, our readiness to fight back against Project 2025, and industry-backed scientists’ disregard for public health.
August 5, 2024 / by
Robin Bravender /
E&E News
EPN board member Stan Meiburg, EPN executive director Michelle Roos, and Jeremy Symons, senior advisor to EPN, were mentioned in an E&E News article that focused on all the accomplishments that the Environmental Protection Network has achieved over the last 3.5 years and our continued readiness to advocate for strong environmental policies.
August 6, 2024 / by
Robin Bravender /
E&E News
EPN executive director Michelle Roos and Jeremy Symons, senior advisor to EPN, were mentioned in an article by E&E News after one of the authors of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025’s chapter on EPA tweeted, “Could someone get me a full list of all the folks in this group? Just asking for a friend.” The tweet was in response to E&E’s August 5, 2024, story, which highlighted EPN’s work during the previous administration. The article recalled the 1983 “hit list” of 90 EPA scientists compiled by Reagan appointees.
Penny Fenner-Crisp, former Senior Science Advisor to the Director, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, and Betsy Southerland, former Director of the Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, were quoted in The Guardian about the NGO run by Michael Dourson, a controversial former EPA staffer turned industry scientist, who is developing peer-reviewed science for chemical companies to use against EPA’s PFAS drinking water standards.
Read all recent EPN in the News items here.
