The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Aug. 29 terminated five employees and issued removal notices for four others who signed a declaration of dissent, according to Stand Up for Science, a nonprofit formed in February by a group of scientists concerned about political interference at the agency. Several employees were reprimanded and allowed to return to work, while others remain on administrative leave through mid-September, the organization said.
The nonprofit said the decision follows weeks of escalating conflict after 139 EPA workers were placed on leave July 3 for signing a petition criticizing Administrator Lee Zeldin’s leadership. On Aug. 8, EPA union contracts were terminated, leaving employees without standard labor protections, Stand Up for Science said.
The petition, signed by more than 600 staff, raised concerns about shifting resources away from the Office of Research and Development, weakening environmental justice programs, and rolling back health-based standards for asbestos, mercury, greenhouse gases, and PFAS chemicals. It also criticized plans to reassign scientific staff into regulatory offices, which the employees argued would increase political interference in research.
Stand Up for Science said it will support affected workers in filing whistleblower protection complaints.
