Updated
Workforce
EPA union sues management over contract termination
AFGE accused EPA leadership of implementing President Trump’s executive order stripping many federal employees of their collective bargaining rights partly so it could discipline employees who signed an open letter criticizing Administrator Lee Zeldin more easily.
Workforce
Fired EPA dissenters sue for reinstatement, alleging First Amendment violations
Seven former EPA employees said they were targeted for removal for signing an open “declaration of dissent” in their personal capacities because they had fewer civil service protections rather than any wrongdoing.
Workforce
EPA workers disciplined for dissent letter get legal aid from whistleblower groups
Lawyers for Good Government and the Government Accountability Project announced Tuesday that the two organizations would represent EPA workers who signed a 2025 “declaration of dissent” as they challenge their discipline before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Workforce
EPA says it will slash workload after IG flags slashed workforce as overburdened
The environmental agency is struggling to handle its grants work after cutting its workforce last year.
Workforce
EPA workers fired over dissent letter appeal to MSPB
Only a fraction of the more than 130 employees who signed an open letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin accusing the Trump administration of “recklessly undermining” the agency’s mission were ultimately terminated, purportedly because they worked in “public-facing” roles.
Workforce
Trump administration is on track to cut 1 in 3 EPA staffers by the end of 2025
Critics say the staffing cuts hinder the agency’s ability to keep pollution out of air and water.
Workforce
EPA becomes the second federal agency to cancel its union contracts
In an email Friday, an official claimed the continued recognition of unions at EPA would constitute “irreparable harm to national security” at the agency responsible for fighting pollution.
Management
Trump is outpacing his first term in deleting environmental information
The restriction of language and removal of information makes it harder to address climate issues, say the authors of a new report on environmental information under Trump 2.0.
Management
Why the federal government is making climate data disappear
Under Trump, climate denial has given way to something even more dangerous: climate erasure.
Workforce
Union calls for reinstatement of EPA workers suspended over letter
More than 130 EPA workers were put on administrative leave over their signature of a letter that criticized Administrator Lee Zeldin’s direction for the agency.
News
How shrinking the EPA could make wildfire smoke even more dangerous
Proposed jobs and grants cuts by the Trump administration could have detrimental impacts in air quality monitoring at the federal, state and local government levels, stakeholders say.
Management
EPA begins eliminating offices as DOGE tightens grip on nearly all agency spending
RIFs are expected for employees in impacted areas, while DOGE is now requiring special sign off for any large EPA expenditure.
Workforce
EPA employees are ‘freaking out’ over Trump’s return
Trump targeted EPA for cuts and deregulation in his first term. Employees are gearing up for a redux.
Management
25 states file an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to halt EPA’s carbon rule
The rule could end coal-fired power plants in America, attorneys general argue.
Management
Biden administration announces new rule to protect workers from heat-related illnesses
A new White House rule would require employers to monitor workers’ heat exposure, provide cool-down areas and take other steps for personnel in 35 million heat-related jobs.
Oversight
Supreme Court blocks an EPA plan to curb ozone air pollution
Environmental advocates worry that future challenges to federal policies could similarly “short-circuit the normal process of judicial review” by appealing directly to the Supreme Court.
Workforce
EPA union ratifies contract to protect employees’ scientific integrity
The deal also locks in a maximum of four days per week of telework, though labor leaders said that the agency will likely want to renegotiate the benefit after two years.
Management
Biden’s environmental justice scorecard offers more questions than answers
The White House's own environmental justice progress report gives little insight into the green benefits delivered to disadvantaged communities.
Workforce
Want to work for the EPA? The agency is preparing for a substantial hiring push in 2024
The agency is leaning on a twin set of climate-related bills to restore its workforce.
Management