Overview

• On June 30, 278 current and recently terminated EPA staff submitted a formal declaration of dissent to Administrator Lee Zeldin
• More than 170 employees signed the letter publicly while about 100 senior scientists signed anonymously due to fears of retaliation
• The letter outlines five key objections: politicized communications, sidelining of scientific assessments, dismantling of research functions, deep cuts to environmental justice programs and a culture of fear
• Signers warn that the planned dissolution of the Office of Research and Development, cancellation of billions in grants and further staff reductions will undercut regulatory capacity
• Nobel laureate Carol Greider and former NIH editor Jeremy Berg joined the protest, cautioning that loss of scientific expertise could imperil public health and long-term environmental safeguards