Environmentalists Warn House Cuts to EPA Budget Will Impede PFAS Efforts

August 29, 2023 / by

Suzanne Yohannan /

Inside EPA

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, and John Reeder, Vice President of Federal Affairs at Environmental Working Group and former EPA Deputy Chief of Staff, were quoted in this article discussing how the House Republicans’ proposed FY2024 budget would slash much of the funding needed for EPA and other federal agencies to address PFAS. Betsy was quoted in a related article published in StateImpact Pennsylvania.

Inflation Reduction Act Will Boost EPA Efforts to Tackle the Climate Crisis

August 22, 2023 / by

David F. Coursen /

The Hill

Dave Coursen, former Attorney, EPA Office of General Counsel, wrote this op-ed on August 1, 2022, discussing how the Inflation Reduction Act will help EPA address the challenges of climate change and support environmental and climate justice.

EPA’s Ozone Do-Over Faces Backlash

August 22, 2023 / by

Sean Reilly /

E&E News

John Bachmann, former Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, was quoted in this article discussing the implications of postponing the tightening of EPA’s air quality standards for ground-level ozone.

PFAS Superfund Listing Backs Dems Into a Corner

August 21, 2023 / by

Annie Snider /

Politico Pro

Jim Woolford former Director, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM), was quoted in this article discussing how the Biden administration’s plan to list two PFAS “forever chemicals” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) may put Democrats in a political corner.

EPA Finds at Least 26 Million People in US Have Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Their Drinking Water

August 17, 2023 / by

Brett Wilkins /

Common Dreams

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted and EPN was mentioned in this article about EPA’s initial release of testing data that found multiple PFAS in public drinking water systems.

Where Are the TCE Cleanup Sites in Milwaukee County?

August 16, 2023 / by

Andrew Hahn Sophia Vento Yash Roy /

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Tracey Woodruff, Director of Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California, San Francisco, and former EPA senior scientist and former Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Policy, was quoted in this article discussing trichlorethylene contamination in Milwaukee and the inability of many toxic regulators to keep on top of numerous legacy contaminants.

49 Years Ago, the FDA Said a Common Plastic Caused Cancer. We Still Use It.

August 15, 2023 / by

Judith Enck /

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, wrote this op-ed urging for new plastics reduction laws and a federal ban on vinyl chloride.

EPA Eyes Formal Evaluation of Toxic Chemical That Burned After Ohio Train Derailment

August 11, 2023 / by

Matthew Daly /

Associated Press

Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article discussing EPA’s recent announcement that it may begin a formal risk evaluation of vinyl chloride.

Why Reopen Palisades Nuclear Plant When We Have Wind and Solar?

August 11, 2023 / by

Jeff Alson /

Bridge Michigan

Jeff Alson, former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, penned this op-ed explaining why re-opening the Palisades nuclear plant, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, would be a bad and costly idea for Michigan taxpayers.

Professor Robert Verchick on Climate Resiliency and the Damaging Side Effects of Climate Change

July 30, 2029 / by

Yasmin Vossoughian /

MSNBC

Robert Verchick, former EPA Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy, was interviewed in this news segment discussing climate resiliency and the steps the Biden administration is taking to mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly for rural and disadvantaged urban communities.

Environmental Groups Call on the EPA to Ban the Toxic Chemical Vinyl Chloride

July 28, 2023 / by

Allison Guy /

Environmental Health News

Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article regarding Beyond Plastics’ and other advocacy organizations’ call on EPA to begin a safety assessment on vinyl chloride under TSCA to lead to its eventual ban.

Nervous Automakers Await Rules Pushing Them Toward EVs

July 25, 2023 / by

Mike Magner and Valerie Yurk /

Roll Call

Jeff Alson, former Senior Engineer and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article regarding EPA’s recently-proposed vehicle emissions standards and industry anticipation of the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s release of their Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

Environmental Justice and EPA Programs Are Roadkill in the House Spending Bill

July 24, 2023 / by

David Coursen /

The Hill

Dave Coursen, former Attorney, EPA Office of General Counsel, penned this op-ed discussing the House Republicans proposed budget for EPA, which would slash agency funding by 40% if enacted, blocking development of new programs and forcing cuts to existing programs.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

July 23, 2023 / by

James Fabisiak and Bernard Goldstein /

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bernie Goldstein, former EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, co-authored this op-ed about particulate matter from wildfire smoke and other sources of air pollution and what needs to be done to combat poor air quality due to climate change.

Questions Trail EPA Retreat From Cancer Alley Probe

July 19, 2023 / by

Sean Reilly /

E&E News

Kristi Smith, counsel to advocacy groups challenging Clean Air Act permitting practices in Alabama and former Attorney, EPA Office of General Counsel, was quoted in this article discussing EPA’s unanticipated decision to close investigations of civil rights complaints against Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health.

Researchers Find Evidence of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Blood of Pregnant Women

July 19, 2023 / by

Carey Gillam /

The Guardian

Tracey Woodruff, Director of the University of California San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and former Senior Scientist and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Policy, was quoted in this article about a study she co-led that found several harmful chemicals, including the PFAS chemical PFOS, in the blood of pregnant women who participated in the research.

‘Forever Chemicals’ are Everywhere; Experts Worry Public Awareness is Low

July 11, 2023 / by

Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin /

The Hill

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, was quoted in this article about the low public awareness of PFAS’ ubiquity in drinking water systems.

Groups Warn PFAS Liability Waiver Would Set Adverse CERCLA Precedent

July 9, 2023 / by

Suzanne Yohannan /

Inside EPA

This article discussing environmental groups’ concerns that Congress will permit CERCLA liability exemptions for industries that discharge PFAS quoted EPN’s letter to the Senate Environmental and Public Works committee on their proposed PFAS bill.

America Is Wrapped in Miles of Toxic Lead Cables

July 9, 2023 / by

Susan Pulliam, Shalini Ramachandran, John West, Coulter Jones, and Thomas Gryta /

Wall Street Journal

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, was quoted in this article regarding an investigation that found soil contamination from lead-covered cables abandoned by phone companies. She was quoted in a related article in Yahoo! News.

Plastic’s Health Impacts are Becoming Impossible to Ignore

July 6, 2023 / by

Judith Enck /

Newsweek

Judith Enck, President of Beyond Plastics and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, wrote this op-ed discussing how plastic and the chemicals associated with plastic threaten our health, the environment, and climate.

EPA’s ‘Forever Chemicals’ Approval Plan Draws Mixed Reaction

June 30, 2023 / by

Ellie Borst /

E&E News

Bob Sussman, former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article about the shortcomings of EPA’s new framework for reviewing new PFAS and significant new uses of existing PFAS.

‘Profit Over the Public’s Health’: Study Details Efforts by Makers of Forever Chemicals to Hide Their Harms

June 27, 2023 / by

Victoria St. Martin /

Inside Climate News

Tracey Woodruff, Director, UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and former Senior Scientist and Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Policy, was quoted in this article discussing a study she co-authored that analyzed documents from Dupont and 3M that outlined the companies’ efforts to hide the dangers of PFAS chemicals.

How Do You Know If Drinking Water Is Safe From Forever Chemicals?

June 24, 2023 / by

Teddy Amenabar /

The Washington Post

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health and the National Toxicology Program, was quoted in this article discussing acceptable levels of PFAS in water systems and the greater risk of PFAS contamination for water supplies located near PFAS-manufacturing and military facilities.

Stakeholders Split on Determining Compliance with Draft PFAS Water Rule

June 22, 2023 / by

Suzanne Yohannan /

Inside EPA

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted and EPN was mentioned in this article about differing opinions on how best to calculate whether drinking water systems are in compliance with EPA’s proposed PFAS drinking water standards.