EPA has been shuttered due to the government shutdown since midnight on December 28. EPN members have been sharing stories about the important EPA work that has come to a halt and the personal and professional disruption for EPA employees. EPN will continue to stand with government employees until this senseless shutdown is over.

Highlights of this update:

EPN’s Work on the Government Shutdown

The Effects of a Government Shutdown at EPA

EPN shared information about the effects of a government shutdown on EPA’s ability to do its work before and during the shutdown. Shutdowns are disruptive, bad for morale, hurt productivity, and are a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars. On January 25, 2019, a short-term spending bill was signed, and the 34-day shutdown over the FY2019 budget ended.

Government Shutdown In The News

With No Agreement on the Wall, Partial Federal Shutdown Likely to Continue Until 2019

Dec 21, 2018 / by

Lesley Clark /

McClatchy

Stan Meiburg, EPN Board member and Advisor, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Regions 4 and 6, and former EPA Acting Deputy Administrator, is quoted in this article on the partial government shutdown, as Congress and the White House remained deadlocked over how to fund nine Cabinet departments and several smaller agencies. The article also ran in The Charlotte Observer and The Sacramento Bee.

Shutdown Looms but EPA’s Doors to Stay Open for Now

Dec 20, 2018 / by

Abby Smith /

Bloomberg Environment

Stan Meiburg, EPN Board member and Advisor, former EPA Deputy Regional Administrator in Regions 4 and 6, and former EPA Acting Deputy Administrator, is quoted in this article on the EPA’s contingency plan to use carryover funding to sustain most agency operations.

EPN’s Work on PM, Ozone and CASAC

Taking Science Out of Air Quality—EPN Defends Public Health and the Integrity of the CASAC

The Trump Administration made unprecedented attacks on science, abandoning plans to reinstate the Ozone Review Panel, disbanding the Particulate Review Panel, and asking the CASAC to solely review the key scientific assessments for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards Ozone and PM Reviews. In response, EPN shared testimony at the public CASAC meeting and created documents to explain these assaults on science.

CASAC In The News

Key Advisers Blast EPA for Firing Review Panel

Dec 11, 2018 / by

Sean Reilly /

E&E News

Dan Costa, EPN member and former EPA National Director of the Air, Climate, and Energy Research Program, is quoted in this article about two of Acting Administrator Wheeler’s appointees to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), calling for the reconstitution of a Particulate Matter review panel.

Science Adviser Allowed Oil Group to Edit Research

Dec 10, 2018 / by

Scott Waldman /

E&E News

EPN member John Bachmann, former EPA Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, Office of Air, is quoted in this article on Chairman of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Tony Cox allowing the American Petroleum Institute to help finance his research into particulate matter pollution, as well as proofread and copy edit his findings before they were published.

‘Shadow’ Reviews by Former CASAC Members Could Help Defend NAAQS

Nov 16, 2018 / by

Stuart Parker /

Inside EPA

EPN members Chris Zarba, former EPA Staff Director of the Science Advisory Board, and John Bachmann, former EPA Associate Director for Science/Policy and New Programs, Office of Air, were quoted in Inside EPA’s piece on in-depth “shadow” reviews planned by former members of EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), which could help defend the PM and ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).

CASAC Op-Eds In The News

The Latest Chapter in EPA vs Environmental Science Saga

Dec 11, 2018 / by

Bernard Goldstein /

The Hill

EPN member Bernie Goldstein, former EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and Development and Chair of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), wrote this op-ed on EPA’s divorce proceedings against science.

The Assault Against Science Continues at the E.P.A.

Nov 14, 2018 / by

Christopher S. Zarba /

The New York Times

Chris Zarba, EPN member and former EPA Staff Director of the Science Advisory Board, wrote this op-ed published in The New York Times on EPA’s assaults on science under the current administration, despite the fact that EPA relies on science to protect our country’s health, safety and quality of life.

EPN’s Work on HFCs, ProScience Report and NEPA

EPN Comments on Proposed Revision to Controls on Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

The proposed revision to the Refrigerant Management Program under Section 608(c) of the Clean Air Act would relieve businesses of many of their duties in handling leaks, repairs, and record keeping for HFCs. EPN responded with comments on the arbitrary nature of this proposal, its contradiction to statutory intent, and its lack of scientific basis.

EPN Contributes to Report on Protecting Science in Federal Agencies

EPN and many other science-based organizations released a report describing the ongoing threats to the use of science in decision-making on issues of public health and the environment. The report also provides Congress with recommended steps to take in response to these threats.

EPN and Save EPA Oppose Ending NEPA Rating System Without Public Review and Comment

A memo on EPA's review responsibilities from EPA Associate Administrator for the Office of Policy Brittany Bolen stated that EPA will no longer assign a letter and numerical rating in its comments on reviews conducted by other agencies. In response, EPN and Save EPA wrote a joint letter urging Acting Administrator Wheeler to continue the rating system while seeking public review and comment in order to avoid confusion and inconsistency.

EPN Op-Eds

EPN members penned their own op-eds on climate change in California and the Midwest, and the red tides in Florida.

Trump’s Auto Emission Policies Could Bring Deadlier Fires

Dec 12, 2018 / by

Daniel Reich /

East Bay Times

EPN member Dan Reich, former EPA Assistant Regional Counsel, Region 9, wrote this op-ed on the Administration’s efforts to roll back emissions standards, leading to rising temperatures and fires, like those recently seen in California, becoming the new norm. The piece also ran in the San Jose Mercury News.

Five Ways the Midwest Is Enduring Climate Change

Dec 7, 2018 / by

Janet McCabe /

Inside Sources

EPN Advisor and former EPA Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, Janet McCabe wrote this op-ed on climate change in the Midwest and what can be done about it.

Red Tides: An Unwelcome Reminder that Water Quality Matters

Nov 14, 2018 / by

James Giattina /

The Palm Beach Post

EPN member James Giattina, former EPA Director, Water Protection Division, Region 4, Atlanta, and Director of the Gulf Program, wrote an op-ed on the red tides in Florida and their reminder that our efforts to restore the nation’s waters to a healthy condition are far from complete.

More examples of EPN In The News

In addition to the news articles above, EPN members contributed to a range of articles on topics such as Waters of the United States (WOTUS), President George H.W. Bush’s environmental legacy, carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants, MATS, climate change and wildfires, PFAS, low NOx truck emissions, and CAFE standards.

Trump administration to strip pollution protections, harming vital wildlife

Dec 11, 2018 / by

Emily Holden /

The Guardian

Mark Ryan, EPN member and former EPA leading Clean Water Act expert and Chief Trial Attorney, is quoted in this article on the Administration’s plans to relax protections in the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule from streams and wetlands that could harm vital wildlife and allow pollution into drinking water.

How George H.W. Bush (Eventually) Rescued U.S. Wetlands

Dec 3, 2018 / by

Ariel Wittenberg /

Greenwire

EPN members Ellen Gilinsky, former Associate Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water at the EPA, and Robert Wayland, former EPA Director of the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds in the Office of Water, are quoted in this article on Bush’s “no net loss of wetlands” pledge and how it finally came to regulatory fruition under his son George W. Bush’s administration.

How Wildfires Impact People’s Health

Nov 16 2018 / by

AM2DM /

BuzzFeed

EPN member John Kennedy, former EPA Staff, Region 9, serving the Pacific Southwest region of California, Nevada and Arizona, was interviewed on BuzzFeed’s AMtoDM on the effects wildfires, like those in California, have on public health.

Read all recent EPN In The News items here