In the News

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. 

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.

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Thomasville, Georgia, has a water problem: The system that handles and treats wastewater to make sure it’s safe is far out of date, posing serious health and environmental risks.

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.

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.

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.

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was featured on the radio segment Live Local & Progressive.

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.

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.

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.

Bill Reilly, former EPA Administrator, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post about the importance of ENERGY STAR®.

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.

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.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, spoke on The Brian Lehrer Show about water fluoridation.

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.

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.

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.

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Politico Pro.

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. They warn that with EPA’s greatly expanded mission, reverting to 1980s EPA staffing could leave the agency reactive rather than proactive, heightening risks of missed deadlines, litigation, and public health harms.

 Stan Meiburg, former Acting Administrator, was quoted in WFDD. Last month, a massive fire erupted at the Omnisource recycling plant in Kernersville, sending towering plumes of black smoke into the sky and drawing attention from as far away as Virginia.

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in Wisconsin Public Radio. Budget would make nearly $2.5B in cuts to state revolving loan funds.

Michelle Roos was quoted in Chemical and Engineering News. Office of Research and Development scientists get 1 week to apply for a new job in the agency or accept early retirement.

Margo Oge, former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in The New York Times. Some said they worried that California’s planned ban on gas-powered vehicles would raise the price of cars. Another cited “intense and misleading lobbying” by the oil industry.

Joe Goffman, former Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in Politico Pro. The agency didn’t offer an alternative in its proposed repeal of rules that limit planet-warming pollution.