In the News

Judith Enck, EPN member and former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, was quoted in this article on single-use plastic consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic and its environmental repercussions.

David Coursen, EPN member and former attorney in EPA’s Office of General Counsel, penned this op-ed concerning the disproportionate share of pollution that occurs in low-wealth communities and communities of color.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director of the Office of Science and Technology in EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article on EPA’s decision not to regulate perchlorate, a rocket fuel chemical, in drinking water.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice was quoted in this article regarding testimony he gave during a Congressional hearing entitled, “Pollution and Pandemics: COVID-19’s Disproportionate Impact on Environmental Justice Communities.” Mustafa was quoted in a similar article by Michigan Advance.

Joe Cotruvo, EPN member and former Director, Criteria and Standards Division, EPA Office of Drinking Water, penned this op-ed on EPA’s decision to not regulate perchlorate in drinking water. 

Judith Enck, EPN member and former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, was quoted in this article on the steps the Albany water commissioner is taking to protect employees and the water system during the pandemic. Judith was also quoted in an article in Newsday on the effects the pandemic will have on environmental protections in the short and long term.

Joel Mintz, EPN member and former EPA Enforcement and Supervisory Attorney, published an op-ed in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on how the Trump administration’s deregulation of environmental protections has exacerbated the health implications associated with the pandemic.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice; and Community Revitalization; and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice,  was quoted in this article regarding the City Council of Arlington, Texas, rejecting of a natural gas well that would have caused disproportionate harm to black and Hispanic residents. Mustafa was also quoted in an article by USA Today on the different forms of environmental racism. 

EPN members Joseph Goffman (former Associate Assistant Administrator for Climate and Senior Counsel, EPA Office of Air and Radiation), Ellen Kurlansky (former Air Policy Analyst and Advisor, EPA Office of Air and Radiation), and Janet McCabe (former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation) were quoted in this article about the negative effects the Trump administration’s deregulatory campaign is having on air quality during the pandemic.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article on the Trump administration’s decision to retain existing particulate matter standards and the harm it will have on communities of color.

John Bachmann, EPN member and former Associate Director for Science, Policy and New Programs, EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, was quoted in this article on the rise of ground-level ozone in Phoenix despite a drop in automobile traffic.

Carl Reeverts, EPN member and former Project Manager, Infrastructure Branch, EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water; and Deputy Director of the EPA Drinking Water Protection Division, was quoted in this article on how citizen petitions are handled under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) due to a recent trial on the use of fluoride in drinking water.

Dennis McLarren, EPN member and former Regional Administrator, EPA Region 10, was quoted in this article regarding the environmental review for the Pebble Mine, a proposed gold and copper open-pit mine that would have harmful effects on the Bristol Bay watershed.

Betsy Southerland, EPN member and former Director of the Office of Science and Technology in EPA’s Office of Water, was quoted and EPN was mentioned in this article regarding missing data from EPA’s superfund program despite the administration touting the program’s success.

Joel Mintz, EPN member and former EPA Enforcement and Supervisory Attorney, was quoted in this article on a recent executive order by President Trump that asks federal agencies to waive environmental reviews on infrastructure projects being built during the pandemic. Joel was quoted in similar articles by S&P Global, Utility Dive, the Inquisitr, The Architects Newspaper, the Global Government Forum, and Red Green & Blue.

EPN members George Czerniak (former Director, Air and Radiation Division, EPA, Region 5), Janet McCabe (former Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation), and Robert Verchick (former EPA Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy) were quoted in this article on the wave of deregulation requests that have been made to state regulators by companies across the country.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization, and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article regarding a virtual public hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change on “Pollution and Pandemics: COVID-19’s Disproportionate Impact on Environmental Justice Communities.” Mustafa was quoted in similar articles by The Washington Post, Politico, E&E News, The Hill, Our Daily Planet, and was interviewed on the Political Climate podcast.

Bob Sussman, EPN member and former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in an article by Inside EPA on the asbestos draft risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Dan Reich, EPN member and former Assistant Regional Counsel, EPA Region 9, penned this op-ed on how Congress signing the Kigali Agreement would not only reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) but provide American industry with a business opportunity.

Mark Ryan, EPN member and former EPA Regional Counsel, Region 10, was quoted in this article on EPA’s final rule on section 401 of the CWA, which would curtail the ability of the states to reject pipelines and other energy projects.

Bob Sussman, EPN member and former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article on the use of fluoride in American drinking water and an ongoing trial in San Francisco that can curtail it.

Judith Enck, EPN member and former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, was quoted in this article about the plastic industry touting the benefits of plastics during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article was reprinted by MSN.

Judith Enck, EPN member and former EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2, published this op-ed about the Pentagon’s incineration of PFAS chemicals and the immediate need to halt such practices. Judith was quoted in a similar article by WAMC.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, EPN member and former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice, was quoted in this article regarding a recent executive order that asks federal agencies to waive required environmental reviews and the effects it would have on minority communities. Mustafa was quoted in a similar article by E&E News.