In the News

EPN’s Breathing Easy Report was mentioned in an article by National Catholic Reporter about faith leaders across the country denouncing EPA rollbacks and contemplating how to fight back against future environmental harms during the rest of Trump’s administration.

Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, and Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, were quoted in Truthout about the cumulative dangers of dismantling ORD and EPA’s deregulatory agenda, which will reverse decades of environmental and public health progress and result in pollution levels not seen since before 1970.

David Cash, former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1, was featured on Living on Earth podcast to talk about prior EJ initiatives that helped overburdened communities clean up the air, replace lead pipes, and enjoy better health as a result.

Larry Starfield, former Deputy and Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance, was quoted in 3E about Zeldin’s planned revisions to the National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives (NECIs), saying the changes contradict  “the central idea behind the NECIs.”

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Inside EPA about how the elimination of EPA’s Office of Research and Development would bring PFAS toxicity testing and contamination data to a halt, significantly slowing down regulations for the chemical class.

Lisa Garcia, Former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2, was quoted in City Limits about how budget and workforce cuts will specifically impact New York, saying that critical air quality data would not be available, funding to replace lead pipes would be paused, and important soil and water testing after natural disasters would be stopped.

Leaked documents from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology outlined plans to dismantle EPA’s Office of Research and Development. This proposal is an unprecedented assault on science and aims to slash 50-75% of EPA’s budget and workforce, effectively crippling its ability to protect human health and the environment. Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in Grist talking about how the cuts will devastate the agency.

Leaked documents from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology outlined plans to dismantle EPA’s Office of Research and Development. This proposal is an unprecedented assault on science and aims to slash 50-75% of EPA’s budget and workforce, effectively crippling its ability to protect human health and the environment. Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in WVXU News about the devastation these cuts will cause to the environment and public health.

Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, was quoted in The Guardian about Zeldin’s deregulatory agenda and the measurable health and economic benefits of the rules the agency plans to rollback, saying, “If you carry around an inhaler, these rollbacks are a nightmare.”

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in The Coastal Review about EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement to review the Sackett decision. The review will most likely end up narrowing the scope of wetlands even further, putting many drinking water systems and flood reduction zones at risk.

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Inside EPA about how the elimination of ORD would bring PFAS toxicity testing and contamination data to halt, significantly slowing down regulations for the chemical class.

Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in The Hill about leaked documents from the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology that outlined plans to dismantle EPA’s Office of Research and Development and what the plan means for science.

Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, interviewed with Inside Climate News about leaked documents from the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology that outlined plans to dismantle EPA’s Office of Research and Development and what the plan means for science.

Larry Starfield, former Deputy and Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance, was quoted in Inside EPA about the rumors to dismantle the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, saying that “If they go ahead with it, what you’re going to see is drastically reduced enforcement.”

Bob Sussman, former Deputy Assistant Administrator, was quoted in Politico about Biden-era regulations not included in Zeldin’s recently announced deregulatory agenda, namely TCE, PFAS, and five rules under TSCA. The administration is actively considering these rules and it is unclear how they will proceed.

Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, was featured live on CBS News and quoted in a CBS article about the importance of the Office of Research and Development and how cuts to the branch will devastate public and environmental health.

 Chitra Kumar, Former Director, Office of Policy, Partnerships, and Program Development, OEJECR, was quoted in Yahoo! News about the proposed ORD workforce and budget cuts, saying, “The administration knows, and history shows, that industry will not regulate itself.”

Leaked documents from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology outlined plans to dismantle EPA’s Office of Research and Development. This proposal is an unprecedented assault on science and aims to slash 50-75% of EPA’s budget and workforce, effectively crippling its ability to protect human health and the environment. Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in The Washington Post about how these cuts will devastate public health and the environment.

Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development; Chitra Kumar, Former Director, Office of Policy, Partnerships, and Program Development, OEJECR; and Stan Meiburg, Former Acting Administrator, were quoted in Politico about how the proposed cuts will affect a wide range of environmental rules and regulations, as well as scientists across the country employed by major ORD research offices.

Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, was quoted in Newsweek about court orders to bring previously fired agency scientists back to work. However, these employees still do not have access to their emails or equipment, so they are still unable to complete any work.

Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in The New York Times about leaked documents from the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology that outlined plans to dismantle EPA’s Office of Research and Development and what the plan means for science.

Joe Goffman, former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, and EPN’s press statement denouncing EPA’s announcement to roll back 31 Biden-era regulations were featured in The New Lede.

Zealan Hoover, former Senior Advisor to EPA Administrator and Director of Implementation, was mentioned in an article by Inside Climate News about the termination of billions of dollars for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Lawsuits from the grantees of the funding will likely take months to resolve.

Joe Goffman, former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, and Jeremy Symons, Senior Adviser to EPN, were quoted in Politico about EPA’s massive deregulatory announcement and how the rollbacks will likely be scrutinized in court during a time when the agency is firing many of its employees needed to protect and rewrite rules.