Can EPA Maintain Its Mission?

Above: Los Angeles in the 1970s and now. What does it take to get from dirty to clean? Learn here. From our partners at the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program Since Donald Trump became President and Scott Pruitt his EPA Administrator, the EPA has worked assiduously to remove, weaken, or delay a … Read more

What Cutting EPA Enforcement Means – and What You Can Do About It.

EPA Logo with "Busted" superimposed

A FORMER EPA ENFORCER SPEAKS OUT Under the platitudes of “budget cuts,” we all lose valuable protections for our health. I know, because I recently retired after spending 27 years as a lawyer at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I’ve watched high-level policy discussions miss the realities of my work on-the-ground with industrial facilities and … Read more

Former EPA Lawyers Critique “Sue-and-Settle” Directive

Scales of justice and judge's gavel with law books in background

Former EPA career attorneys today sent a letter  to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt “to correct the many mistakes of law and fact” in his October 16 directive and explanation concerning settlement of lawsuits brought against the agency.  The lawyers explain how the directive will harm the American people and the fair and efficient operations of … Read more

Pruitt’s Strategic Plan for EPA – and Why It Matters

  The Trump/Pruitt team has released its roadmap for EPA. What is strategic planning? A systematic process of envisioning a desired future, and translating this vision into broadly defined goals or objectives and a sequence of steps to achieve them. Strategic plans create a framework for accountability between the Agency, Congress and the American people. … Read more

Proposed EPA Budget Cuts Meet Stiff Bipartisan Resistance from House Appropriations Subcommittee

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt defended the Trump Administration’s massive cuts to the EPA budget before a key House subcommittee on Thursday.   The plan to dismantle our environmental protections  was not well received – by either party. Bloomberg reports: The criticism of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt at a budget hearing Thursday illustrates the difficulty Trump … Read more

Save EPA has been an all-volunteer group of former EPA officials who became alarmed about the Trump agenda for EPA and joined together to fight it.

With newly-elected President-Elect Biden and VP-Elect Harris coming in January, the need to "save EPA" is much less urgent. This is not to imply all clear skies ahead - there is much re-building to do, there will be negative pressures on the new administration, and we will likely have policy differences in the future. However, we are hopeful that these differences will be discussed rationally, using science as a basis for moving forward, and keeping EPA's mission of protecting human health and the environment in the forefront.

And so, we are going back to retirement!  We're keeping our website up at http://saveepaalums.info/ , as a resource for those who want to follow and influence the restoration work. Our report on the Trump record at EPA describes the actions that need to be reversed [saveepaalums.info/Trump+era+report], and our guide to participating in the rulemaking process [http://saveepaalums.info/Resistance+Guide] can help you be part of the solution.

Thank you for your support and commitment during the past 3.5 years.  While the Trump assaults were unending, they were also frequently unsuccessful, and that was due in large part to public outrage.  Keep it up!  Although EPA will be in much better hands with a Biden administration, there is always a need for an informed and engaged public.

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