EPN In Action November-December 2022

Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article discussing how drinking water treatment upgrades from the proposed regulation of PFOA and PFOS would capture other contaminants as well, resulting in massive improvements to drinking water quality.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, and Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, were quoted and EPN was mentioned in this article discussing the severe inadequacies of the World Health Organization’s draft guidelines for PFAS in drinking water. Linda was also quoted in a related article in Phys.org, and EPN’s comments on the draft guidelines were cited in an Inside EPA article.

This article referenced EPN’s comments to EPA in support of the designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA.

Kevin Minoli, former EPA Deputy General Counsel, was quoted in a Washington Post article regarding possible challenges to the Biden administration’s expanded definition of waters regulated by EPA. Kevin and Mark Ryan, former Assistant Regional Counsel, EPA Region 10, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, were also quoted in an E&E News article about the revised water rule.

Margo Oge, former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was quoted in this article about the recently-finalized standards to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from heavy-duty vehicles and EPA’s plans to transition all diesel trucks to zero-emission vehicles. Margo was quoted in a related article in the Washington Post.

Dan Costa, former National Program Director, Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program, EPA Office of Research and Development, was quoted in this article about EPA-funded air monitoring that will begin in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a city with elevated cancer risks due to industrial air pollution.

Dave Coursen, former attorney, EPA Office of General Counsel, wrote this op-ed discussing the funding EPA has received from the 2023 budget appropriation and what the funding may or may not help the agency achieve.

Bob Sussman, counsel to Safer Chemicals Healthy Families and former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article discussing EPA’s intention to consider TSCA-specific cumulative risks for chemical exposures in general and for several high-priority phthalates.

Mustafa Santiago Ali, Senior Vice President for Environmental Justice, 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 about the commitments made at COP27 and the failure to make progress on emissions reductions.

Linda Birnbaum, former Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, was quoted in this article regarding how widespread PFAS chemicals are, the many sources they may come from, and how they accumulate in the body.

Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming (former EPA Chief of Staff), Stan Meiburg (former EPA Acting Deputy Administrator), and Bob Perciasepe (former EPA Deputy Administrator) were quoted in this article discussing whether the nominees picked to lead EPA’s air, enforcement, and solid waste offices will have confirmation votes before the end of the current Congress.

EPN was mentioned in this article about the possibility of asbestos-ban legislation appearing in the current lame-duck session of Congress.