EPA Dismisses Five Employees for Signing Dissent Letter

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has dismissed five employees who publicly signed a dissent letter opposing the Trump administration’s rollback of pollution, climate, and health safety regulations. This decision, announced on August 25, 2023, follows an investigation into the employees’ involvement in the June “Declaration of Dissent,” which criticized the administration’s actions as detrimental to the EPA’s mission.

In the dissent letter, hundreds of EPA employees expressed concerns that the administration’s policies “undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment.” Their grievances included allegations that the agency was ignoring scientific evidence to benefit polluters and dismantling initiatives that protected disadvantaged communities. The letter garnered significant attention, but most employees chose to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation.

Four additional employees received removal notices, as the agency stated that “EPA supervisors made decisions on an individualized basis” after conducting investigations. The staff members had been on paid leave since the letter’s release, a status that was extended multiple times while inquiries into their activities during work hours were conducted.

Michael Pasqua, an EPA employee responsible for drinking water safety in Wisconsin and a signatory of the declaration, criticized the administration’s response, stating, “The Administration is blatantly lying about the sourced facts of our dissent letter, and are now blatantly retaliating and infringing on our constitutional rights.”

The firings are part of a broader pattern observed during the Trump administration, particularly under former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who oversaw the rollback of over 100 environmental regulations between February 2017 and July 2018. With Trump back in office, the administration has renewed its efforts to cut federal solar and wind power initiatives, as well as other environmental protections.

Concerns about the treatment of federal employees have grown, particularly as reports indicate that the administration has dismissed staff from various science agencies, including the EPA, NASA, and the National Institutes of Health. In July 2023, the administration moved to revoke the “endangerment” finding that underpins U.S. climate regulations, raising alarms among scientific communities.

In a related development, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) faced backlash when staff members released a “Katrina Declaration” in August, warning Congress about budget cuts and potential censorship of climate science. Following this, FEMA placed 36 non-anonymous signatories on administrative leave, mirroring actions taken by the EPA.

Colette Delawalla, a representative from the advocacy group Stand Up for Science, condemned the dismissals, stating, “This is a betrayal of our nation’s most dedicated members of society—we all want clear air and water for ourselves and our families.” She emphasized that whistleblowing is protected by law and asserted that the dismissed employees had acted within their rights.

As the political landscape continues to shift, the implications of these actions on environmental policy and employee rights remain to be seen. The situation illustrates the ongoing tensions between federal agencies and the current administration regarding scientific integrity and environmental protection.