In the News

Bob Sussman, counsel for Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), former Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator, and former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article discussing the broadened scope of asbestos review agreed upon in EPA’s recent settlement with ADAO.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Science and former EPA scientist, and Tim Whitehouse, Executive Director of PEER and former EPA attorney, were quoted in this article regarding the EPA’s determination of more than 120,000 industrial sites that may handle per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Tim’s comments also appeared in a Green Matters article.

EPN and our recommendations to “Reset the Course of EPA” were cited in this article discussing EPA Administrator Regan’s decision to deny a petition to reconsider a Trump-era new source review accounting policy while also announcing the agency’s intention to revise or withdraw the rule in the future.

Bob Sussman, counsel to Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), former Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator, and former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article regarding a settlement agreement EPA has reached with ADAO that sets a schedule for the agency to conduct risk evaluations for legacy asbestos use. Bob was quoted in a similar article in Chemical & Engineering News.

Jeremy Symons, former Climate Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, penned this op-ed discussing how a corporate pollution fee should be included in the Build Back Better reconciliation plan to ensure corporations pay their fair share and to make innovation a central part of a climate change strategy.

Bob Sussman, former Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator and former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article discussing the recent announcement by EPA Assistant Administrator Michal Freedhoff that EPA had authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act to regulate chemicals in articles rather than only discrete chemicals.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization; and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article discussing the positive health, educational, and wealth impacts lead-pipe replacement would have on Black and brown communities and the harm that comes from disinvestment in these communities. This article also appeared on News/Talk 95.3 MNC.

Cheryl Wasserman, former Associate Director for Policy Analysis, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, was quoted in this article discussing what may be included in a second rulemaking on NEPA that the White House Council on Environmental Quality intends to propose in 2022.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and former EPA scientist, was quoted in this article regarding a study she co-authored that found that organophosphate esters, commonly found in flame retardants and plasticizers, pose an even greater risk to neurodevelopment in children than previously known.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization; and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, and Cheryl Wasserman, former Associate Director for Policy Analysis, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, were quoted in this article about an announced rulemaking from the White House Council on Environmental Quality that would change the way environmental reviews mandated by the National Environmental Protection Act are approached, undoing several Trump-era regulatory rollbacks.

The testimony of Betsy Southerland, former Director of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, hearing on “The Clean Water Act (CWA) and Emerging Contaminants” held by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment was quoted in this article.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization; and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article regarding the announcement from the White House Council on Environmental Quality that it will restore key provisions of the National Environmental Protection Act, federal regulations that regulate major infrastructure projects that had been dramatically overhauled by the Trump administration. Mustafa was quoted in related articles appearing in Reuters, Bloomberg Law, Courthouse News Service, and Common Dreams.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization; and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article discussing concerns in the environmental justice movement that the Biden administration will not follow through on many of its environmental justice initiatives.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization; and former EPA Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, co-authored this op-ed about the simple steps Congress could take in the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill to increase low-income and minority access to renewable energy.

John Bachmann, former Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted and EPN was mentioned in this article discussing the recently-released draft supplement to the integrated science assessment for particulate matter.

John Bachmann, former Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, was quoted and EPN was cited in this article discussing the recently released draft supplemental science assessment of particulate matter, which is part of EPA’s review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Stan Meiburg, former EPA Acting Deputy Administrator and former Regional Administrator, EPA Regions 4 and 6, and Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, were quoted in this article discussing the possible steps non-essential EPA staff would have to take in the event of a government shutdown.

Judith Enck, former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article about a proposal by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to do away with specific standards for recyclable material.

Judith Enck, visiting professor at Bennington College, founder of Beyond Plastics, and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in this article about PFOA contamination of drinking water at a middle school in Rennselaer County, NY.

Cynthia Giles, former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, was quoted in this article regarding a new rule implemented by the Biden administration that will allow for better tracking of chemical shipments containing hydrofluorocarbons.

Dave Coursen, former attorney, EPA Office of General Counsel, penned this op-ed about the need for Congress to enact EPA’s budget appropriation so the agency can rebuild and carry out its mission to enhance public health and environmental protections.

Tracey Woodruff, Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE), University of California, San Francisco; former EPA senior scientist; and former policy advisor, EPA Office of Policy, was quoted in this article discussing a PRHE letter to EPA requesting data earlier, before a chemical is designated high-priority, to minimize information gaps in the Toxic Substance Control Act risk evaluation process.

Mark Ryan, former Regional Counsel, EPA Region 10, and former Special Assistant US Attorney, was quoted in this article about some recent lower-court decisions on standing that industry attorneys feel will make it more challenging for environmental groups to file lawsuits.

Stan Meiburg, former EPA Acting Deputy Administrator and former Regional Administrator, EPA Regions 4 and 6, was quoted in this article about the progress the Biden administration has made and challenges they have encountered in reversing Trump-era environmental actions.