Hundreds of Environmental Protection Agency employees signed a public dissent letter condemning Administrator Lee Zeldin's leadership, accusing him of politicizing the agency while putting the public at risk for generations to come.
Following publication, 139 of the signatories received emails placing them on administrative leave, according to various news reports.
Stand Up for Science, a nonprofit formed in February by a group of concerned scientists, published the undated letter on its website.
The petition, signed by 620 people, outlined “five primary concerns,” including actions that directly impact chemical safety and pollution.
This includes the agency’s shifting of resources from the Office of Research and Development to the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention to work on the backlog of more than 500 new chemicals reviews.
“Your administration has proposed a reorganization that moves EPA's foundational research to the Administrator's Office and reassigns ORD's research staff to the program offices,” the letter stated. “A move that places ORD scientists in regulatory program offices will make EPA science more vulnerable to political interference.”
The letter also called out the agency’s investments in artificial intelligence to improve efficiencies while ignoring AI’s “intense consumption of environmental resources.”
Zeldin has said he intends to use AI to streamline and improve the review of chemicals and pesticides.
The declaration of dissent also lambasted the administration for eliminating environmental justice programs in favor of policies that contradict its own scientific assessments on human health risks. Specifically, the letter noted proposals to weaken regulations on asbestos, mercury and greenhouse gases.
“Health-based regulatory standards are being repealed or reconsidered, including drinking water limits for four PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ that cause cancer,” the letter stated.
The petition characterized the Trump administration as hostile to employees, fostering an environment that “promotes a culture of fear.”
“Your administration has fired or forced onto administrative leave several categories of employees, including those responsible for environmental justice and those managing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives,” the letter stated. Your administration has also targeted probationary employees, including a range of students and recent graduates, whom U.S. District Judge William Alsup has called ‘the lifeblood of [the] government.’
The letter closed by asking Zeldin to correct course, with the signatories’ full support if he chooses to do so.
