Science March – Why EPA and environmental protection matter

Above: scenes from the DC Science March Below: Text of EPA Alum Kathy Setian’s speech, delivered at the Science March in San Francisco on April 22nd. Kathy Setian was a project manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a Steward for Engineers and Scientists of California, IFPTE Local 20. Thank you Kishore. As you … Read more

EPA alums speaking up for climate science

The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) is offering another opportunity for EPA alums to speak with one voice. Please visit the link below and sign this letter supporting the importance of science, especially in the arena of climate change. (Text of the letter is copied below.) Please sign by April 19th. EPA former employees support climate … Read more

Which environmental protections do you want to keep?

EPA has opened a comment period soliciting input on which regulations to repeal and which to keep. The docket does not provide a closing date for comments, but assume it’s short – recommendations are due to the White House by May 15. Use this link to submit your comments. https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190 Commenting tips from Altepa: To … Read more

How EPA Benefits Colorado: Talking Points from Rocky Mountain Audubon Chapter

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides broad-ranging benefits to all Americans. The EPA ensures that our water is clean, our air is breathable, and that our communities are protected from toxic hazards and the impacts of climate change. The EPA coordinates with state and local governments, businesses, and other stakeholders to provide services through … Read more

Budget talking points for climate deniers (& folks who don’t “get” EPA)

Here’s some great advice from a savvy advocate about how to talk to people who aren’t in the pro-EPA camp. “We need to reach these guys with language/framing  that will leverage their system of values, if we want them to change their positions/ be strong in maintaining pro EPA position. Instead of climate change, talk … Read more

EPA Budget Cuts & Talking Points

The Ides of March are notorious for the brutal assassination of Julius Caesar by his friends. Scott Pruitt is following in this tradition. Trump’s budget blueprint (the “skinny budget”) is on the street – and it’s even uglier than the OMB markup. The OMB markup document (released before Pruitt’s confirmation) proposed a 25% cut to … Read more

Right to know: Program cuts and vanishing information

Woman with duct tape over mouth signed EPA

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires that all federal agencies make information available to the public on request, unless the information falls within a set of narrowly drawn exemptions.1 Processing FOIA requests is time-consuming and costly in terms of staff time. EPA decided years ago that it was more cost-effective to make data and … Read more

How much do environmental protections cost taxpayers?

Colorado Senator Gardner called the EPA the “Everyone Pays A Lot” administration.1 So how much do we really pay for EPA? https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16032017/donald-trump-budget-proposal-climate-change-global-warming-epa EPA’s current budget is $8.14 billion, 0.2 percent of the projected $4-trillion fiscal year 2017 federal budget.2 With the U.S. population at about 324 million, Trump’s proposed cuts would bring the EPA’s yearly … 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.