EPN Sends Letter to EPA Regarding PFAS Creation in Fluorination Process
On October 19, 2023, EPN sent a letter to the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention urging the agency to complete its assessment of whether the fluorination of plastic containers by Inhance Technologies poses an unreasonable risk to human health and the environment. If an unreasonable risk is determined, we urge the agency to use its authority to prohibit the Inhance fluorination process.
EPN Comments on Draft Revised 1,4-Dioxane Risk Evaluation and Draft Unreasonable Risk Determination Chapter 6
On September 8, 2023, EPN submitted comments on the EPA’s draft revised 1,4-dioxane risk evaluation and draft unreasonable risk determination Chapter 6. We comment on multiple exposure assessments and provide EPA with steps that should be taken to more accurately estimate risk for all of the relevant 1,4-dioxane exposure scenarios.
EPN was mentioned in an article by Inside EPA after sending a letter to the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention’s Assistant Administrator, Michal Freedhoff, to encourage the use of TSCA to force Inhance Technologies to stop its production of fluorinated plastics.
Linda Birnbaum, former Director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, was quoted in this article about the need for a federal ban on Per-and-Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in food packaging to ensure nationwide protections for consumers.
Betsy Southerland, former Director, Office of Science and Technology, EPA Office of Water, was interviewed in this news segment discussing how budget cuts proposed by House Republicans for FY 2024 would severely limit EPA’s ability to address PFAS contamination in many drinking water systems.
Ronnie Levin, former Senior Scientist, Risk Assessor, Lead Inspector, Enforcement Office, EPA Region 1, and Joe Cotruvo, a former director of the Drinking Water Standards Division at EPA, were quoted in this article on the history of EPA’s lead standards and how a new proposal to strengthen them will aid in providing safe drinking water across the country.
Ronnie Levin, former Senior Scientist, EPA Region 1, was quoted in this article regarding federal funds allocated to states for lead service line replacement and how water utilities’ poor tracking of lead service lines has led to funding decreases.
Elin Betanzo, former National Tribal Drinking Water Coordinator, EPA Office of Water, was quoted in this article discussing EPA’s response to the 2018 lead in drinking water crisis in Benton Harbor, Michigan, following a recent Office of Inspector General report that the agency did not sufficiently escalate the public health issue.
Michelle Roos was quoted in The American Prospect in an article about Biden’s investment in disadvantaged communities through EPA’s Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs), and how EPN has set an example for technical assistance as TCTACs launch across the country.
Bob Perciasepe, former EPA Deputy Administrator, was quoted in this article regarding his past experience with government shutdowns and what federal workers can do to prepare for the next one.
Stan Meiburg, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 4 and Region 6, was quoted in an article discussing the impacts a potential government shutdown would have on climate funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.
EPN members penned their own op-eds on the proposed Clean Power Plan and new car emission standards.
Michael Levin, former Director of Regulatory Reform, EPA Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, penned this op-ed outlining how EPA’s proposed climate pollution plan for power plants may benefit anaerobic digester facilities.
Margo Oge, former Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, penned this op-ed countering the two most common misinformation attacks the regulated community makes on EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas vehicle emissions standards.
In addition to the articles above, EPN members contributed to a range of articles on topics such as climate change and chemical pollution.
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 NM Political Report discussing a recent climate change report released by American Academy of Arts & Sciences’ Commissioner on Accelerating Climate Action.
Tracey Woodruff, former EPA Senior Scientist and Policy Advisor in the Office of Policy, was quoted in a Med Tech Dive article discussing EPA’s proposed rulings on ethylene oxide emissions and PFAS and their health effects.
Jeremy Symons, EPN Senior Advisor and former Climate Policy Advisor, EPA Office of Air and Radiation, was quoted in this article discussing how the U.S.’s progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is being quickly erased by its export of liquefied natural gas and other fossil fuels.
Read all recent EPN in the News items here
