PEER Condemns EPA’s Latest Purge of Public Employees
EPA Begins Firing Signatories of Declaration of Dissent
On Friday, Lee Zeldin, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), began firing some of the employees who had signed an open “Declaration of Dissent.” In early July, Zeldin placed approximately 140 EPA employees who signed the declaration on paid administrative leave, informing them they are under investigation.
EPA did not announce how many of the signatories had been fired or proposed for termination. The letter had hundreds of anonymous signers.
These firings follow moves by Zeldin to shut down EPA’s main science office, purge EPA’s science advisory board, drive thousands of employees out of the agency, roll back environmental rules that protect clean water, air and healthy food systems, and cancel contracts and grants in violation of Congressional appropriations.
The signatories to the Declaration of Dissent expressed concern that EPA was:
- Undermining public trust by promoting misinformation and overtly partisan rhetoric
- Ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters
- Reversing programs that help the nation’s most vulnerable communities
- Dismantling EPA’s independent research programs
- Promoting a culture of fear and retribution at the agency
“These firings are part of the administration’s war on the truth,” said Tim Whitehouse, PEER’s Executive Director and a former senior attorney at EPA. “This recent purge is part of Lee Zeldin’s ongoing inquisition to find and remove any employee who expresses concerns about lawless, unethical, or harmful actions by this administration. These brave dissenters are on the right side of history.”
PEER is continuing its legal work to protect public employees across the government from retaliation as part of these ongoing purges and to provide counsel to those who wish to report wrongdoing by the government or express public dissent about government actions.
