EPA Employees Accuse Trump Officials Of Undermining Agency’s Mission

Hundreds of employees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a “Declaration of Dissent," accusing agency leadership of politicizing the EPA and undermining its mission to “protect human health and the environment,” Science’s Phie Jacobs reported.

The declaration was inspired by a similar statement—dubbed the Bethesda Declaration—issued earlier this month by nearly 500 staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I Photo: Moreau1 Wikimedia Commons

The authors wrote that they are standing “against the current administration’s focus on harmful deregulation, mischaracterization of previous EPA actions, and disregard for scientific expertise.”

The declaration was inspired by a similar statement—dubbed the Bethesda Declaration—issued earlier this month by nearly 500 staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A separate letter in support has since gathered nearly 30,000 signatures, including from 70 Nobel laureates, a U.S. senator, and several organizations.

“Having folks speak up is contagious,” said EPA attorney and union leader Nicole Cantello, one of the 278 agency employees who signed the declaration.

She said they felt compelled to respond to decisions they see as “detrimental” to public health and the environment, including the agency’s failure to enforce pollution laws.

One example cited: the EPA dropping its case against a private prison operator that used a toxic disinfectant at an immigration facility.

The letter, addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, also criticized internal communications for promoting misinformation and overtly partisan rhetoric, eroding public trust in the agency.