Washington, DC, June 9, 2020 — Under White House orders to re-open, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finds itself in apparent violation of Centers for Disease Control standards and has abruptly canceled some re-opening dates, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). EPA has yet to release data establishing that those offices slated to […]
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
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National Parks Irresponsible Refusal to Enforce Distancing
Washington, DC, June 1, 2020 — Under orders from President Trump to reopen, many national parks are exposing visitors to COVID-19 by ignoring public health safeguards, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The National Park Service (NPS) tolerance for dense crowds contrasts with rules for maintaining minimum distances being enforced in state parks […]
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Trump Administration’s Wetland Deception
Washington, DC, May 12, 2020 — Two federal environmental agencies are taking diametrically opposed positions on the ecological and economic value of wetlands, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). While the U,S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled a rule allowing more than half of the wetlands in the country to be dredged […]
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Lawsuit Seeks Ouster of Park Service and BLM Leaders
Washington, DC May 11, 2020 – Interior Secretary David Bernhardt violated the Constitution and federal law when he kept lower-level Deputies in place as the de facto leaders of the National Park Service (NPS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM), according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility […]
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Agencies’ Leadership Vacancies Tied to Poor Pandemic Response
Washington, DC, April 14, 2020—Today 18 civil society organizations that work on government accountability, health, environmental protection, and other concerns urged key Senators to hold the Trump Administration to its obligations to fill the key holes in the Federal government and seek Senate confirmation for agency leaders who require confirmation by law. At a crucial […]
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PEER: EPA Not on Emergency Footing
Washington, DC April 9, 2020 – Although the President has declared a national emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic, environmental agencies have not altered their agendas to meet federal directives, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). In fact, actions by agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) detract from what […]
Posted inEnviro
Coronavirus Leaves National Parks in Leaderless Limbo
Washington, DC, March 23, 2020 — National parks are getting mixed messages, as visitor centers are closing while the Interior Department is waiving all entrance fees to encourage more visitors. These recent Trump administration steps appear politically motivated to convey a false sense of normalcy but risk putting both public health and park resources at […]
Posted inEnviro
PEER: Ten Retired Press Officers Attack Validity Of Bird-Death Rule
Washington, DC March 16, 2020 – Ten prominent retired Public Affairs, Communications, and Outreach officers have criticized their own former agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in an unprecedented Inspector General complaint over violating basic press relations norms and fairness policies. The controversy stems from the FWS press release that announced a public […]
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Federal Lab Biosafety Whistleblower Targeted
Washington, DC, Feb. 24, 2020 — A federal laboratory has suffered repeated breaches of biosafety, resulting in releases of high-risk aquatic pathogens posing dangers to the environment, as well as equipment failures threatening the health of researchers, and their experimental results, according to documents posted today Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Instead of addressing […]
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Nobody Home at National Park Headquarters
Washington, DC February 18, 2020 – The hallways of the National Park Service Headquarters now open onto empty offices or those filled on a temporary basis. At the same time, a senior official has gone AWOL according to a new complaint filed with the Department of the Interior’s Inspector General (IG) by Public Employees for Environmental […]
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Even Bureaucracies Taking on Trumpian Tone
Washington, DC, Feb. 12, 2020 — In public announcements about regulatory matters, federal agencies traditionally adhere to neutral sounding language, especially when soliciting public comment on an official proposal. That is changing, as some agencies use even regulatory announcements to self-promote, a practice that skews the rulemaking process and may make pre-ordained agency actions legally […]
Posted inEnviro
EPA Lead Plan Won’t Prevent Future Flints
Washington, DC, Feb. 12, 2020 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s long-awaited plan to reduce lead exposure in drinking water leaves a lot to be desired, according to comments filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). In some respects, EPA’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule increases public health risks due to loopholes and […]
Posted inEnviro
EPA Political Appointees Violate Science Integrity Rules
Washington, DC, Jan. 19, 2020 — In preparing one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s most consequential actions, its political appointees excluded both key scientific information and its own experts, according to a complaint filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The complaint summarizes the accounts of current EPA employees and is co-signed […]
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Industry E-Bike Advisory Group Shut Down As Illegal – Sub-Rosa Advisory Group Behind Interior’s Policy Letting E-Bikes on Trails
Washington, DC December 17, 2019 – A long series of industry-driven meetings with federal officials to push policies allowing electric bicycles on public lands has been terminated due to legal concerns, according to documents posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The “E-bike Partner and Agency Group” violated federal transparency requirements that such […]
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Fertilizers Spread "Forever Chemicals" Across U.S.
Washington, DC, Dec. 2, 2019 — Biosolid fertilizers produced from sewage are a major source of chemical contamination of American croplands and backyard gardens, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Ultra-high levels of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), called “Forever Chemicals” because they do not breakdown and bioaccumulate in the food chain, are found […]
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Interior Department international travel illegal?
Washington, DC November 20, 2019 – Foreign trips by Interior Department officials during the past year appear to violate legal restrictions, according to a complaint filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Not only would the unauthorized funding have to be reimbursed but the responsible official could be prosecuted and barred from office. […]
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Rock-Bottom Federal Grazing Fees Probed
Washington, DC, Nov. 14, 2019 — Information about the largest commercial grazing program on the planet is hard to come by and requests for even the most basic data are ignored, according to a lawsuit filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Consequently, the amount of damage inflicted on Western landscapes and the […]
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Evaporating National Park Staff Levels
Washington, DC, Nov. 5, 2019 — As both the number of parks and visitation have swelled over the past decade, the number of full-time staff employed by National Park Service (NPS) has been in steep decline, falling by more than 3,500 or 16% since 2011, according to agency figures released today by Public Employees for Environmental […]
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Refinery Explosions Highlight Lack of Emission Reporting
Washington, DC, Oct. 17, 2019 — A massive refinery explosion that this week paralyzed much of the San Francisco Bay Area raised uncertainties about the contents of the massive chemical plume coating neighboring communities. A new regulation requiring that regulators, responders, and communities be informed about chemicals released by industrial accidents, won through a lawsuit […]
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“Forever Chemical” Requires Cradle to Grave Approach
Washington, DC, Sept. 19, 2019 — The absence of any federal standards for tracking and managing wastes contaminated with per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) poses a major and growing threat to our health, water, and soil, according to a rule-making petition filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). A key cause for concern is […]