Near Westside Residents Have Higher Rates of Lung Disease, Study Says
Janet McCabe, former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in Mirror Indy. Residents want to know if the area’s industrial past is tied to Marion County health department study findings.
Dangerous Waters
Matt Tejada, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, was quoted in The Globe and Mail. Trump’s regulatory rollback is poised to unleash a wave of pollution North America hasn’t seen since the 1960s.
Inside EPA’s Backdoor Bid to Stop Regulating Climate Pollution
Joe Goffman, former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in Politico Pro. The agency’s expected justification for overturning the power plant rule could also absolve it from regulating other industries’ planet-warming emissions.
The Trump Administration Is Rolling Out a New Way to Shrink FEMA’s Role
Rob Verchick, former Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy, was quoted in Bloomberg. When a series of deadly storms and tornadoes pummeled Arkansas in mid-March, downing power lines and tearing up homes, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders asked the federal government for money to not only help repair the damage, but also boost the state’s defenses against future disasters.
‘Gold Standard Science’ May Lead to Discarding Valid Research
Andy Miller, former Senior Science Advisor, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in Chemical and Engineering News. Trump’s executive order gives political appointees power to enforce standards that scientists call unattainable.
US Official Sparks Backlash After Unveiling New Plan to Deal with Urgent Public Health Threat: ‘There Are Problems Ahead’
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in The Cool Down. As time goes on, Americans have learned more about the chemicals being used in our environment and the products we use every day, and it’s become clear not all of them are safe.
Landmark Air-Pollution Lab Under Threat From Trump Cuts — Can It Be Saved?
Dan Costa, former National Program Director, Air, Climate and Energy Research Program, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in Nature. The US government is shutting down a state-of-the-art facility that has provided data to inform health and environment regulations for decades.
EPA Cancels Grants, Leaving Georgia Cities in the Lurch
Zealan Hoover, former Senior Advisor to the Administrator and Director of Implementation, was quoted in WABE. Thomasville, Georgia, has a water problem: The system that handles and treats wastewater to make sure it’s safe is far out of date, posing serious health and environmental risks.
Over-Polluted Communities Vow to Fight Despite EPA’s Rollback on Environmental Justice
Matt Tejada, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, was featured on an NPR segment. The Trump administration plans to shutter an EPA office that focuses on environmental justice issues. The repercussions are already being felt in communities in what’s known as Cancer Alley.
Communities like mine will bear the brunt of Trump dismantling FEMA and the EPA
Chitra Kumar, former Director, Office of Policy, Partnerships and Program Development, EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, was quoted in MSNBC. It’s not yet hurricane season, and we already see Trump’s disinterest in disaster response.
Community Groups Say Louisiana is Trying to Stop Them From Monitoring Air Pollution
Jay Benforado, former Chief Innovation Officer, EPA Office of Research and Development, and George Wyeth, former Attorney and Policy Analyst, EPA Office of General Counsel, were quoted in NPR. Community groups in Louisiana have filed a federal lawsuit alleging a state law that regulates air-pollution monitoring violates their constitutional rights.
Joan Esposito: Live Local & Progressive
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was featured on the radio segment Live Local & Progressive.
EPA Defunds Research Into PFAS Contamination on Farms
Michelle Roos was quoted in Civil Eats. University teams studying how ‘forever chemicals’ contaminate soil and groundwater, including projects focused on farms, lose millions in grant funding.
Trump EPA Rolls Back Protections From Toxic Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Nation of Change. Amid pressure from chemical and utility industries, the Trump administration weakens key PFAS drinking water regulations—exposing millions to cancer-linked toxins.
EPA Will Roll Back Limits on 4 ‘Forever Chemicals.’ See If They Were Found in Your Water.
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in USA Today. The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans May 14 to rescind drinking water limits it set on four “forever chemicals” last spring.
This Program Should Make a DOGE Bro Swoon. It’s Imperiled Instead.
Bill Reilly, former EPA Administrator, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post.
Trump EPA Guts Rules Against Toxic Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Common Dreams “Once again, the Trump administration has demonstrated that its priority is bending to corporate interests, not protecting the safety and well-being of everyday people,” said one critic.
EPA Dropping Drinking Water Limits on Four Toxic PFAS
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in The New Lede. US regulators said Wednesday they will do away with limits on certain types of toxic chemicals in US drinking water, a move that critics warn could expose millions of Americans to dangerous contaminants.
The Facts (and Myths) of Water Fluoridation
Linda Birnbaum, former Director, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, spoke on The Brian Lehrer Show about water fluoridation.
House Republicans Look to Help Trump Strip Tax-Exempt Status of Nonprofits He Says Support Terrorism
Michelle Roos was quoted in AP News. A proposal by Republicans in Congress would allow President Donald Trump’s administration to remove the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that it says support terrorism, creating what some nonprofits say is an arbitrary standard to financially punish charities that advocate for issues that don’t align with his agenda.
US Environmental Agency Halts Funding For Its Main Science Division
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in Nature. E-mails reveal the stoppage at the US Environmental Protection Agency, which is encouraging workers to resign ahead of a reorganization.
An $18M Grant Would Have Drastically Reduced Food Waste. Then The EPA Cut It.
Zealan Hoover, former Senior Adviser to the Administrator and Director of Implementation, and Michelle Roos were quoted in Grist. The Rhode Island project to create local jobs, launch compost hubs, and reduce emissions was years in the making.
EPA Restructuring Spurs Questions On ‘Forever Chemicals’ Plans
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Politico Pro.
Zeldin Wants a ‘Reagan era’-Sized EPA. He Already Has One.
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, and Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, were quoted in E&E News. Acid rain, PFAS and climate change weren’t even part of the 1980s EPA mission, adding to concerns for an agency already struggling to meet its workload.