E&E News

EPA on track to lay off 271 environmental justice staffers

by PEER | July 24, 2025
With the initial shock now passed, affected employees are considering their options, PEER staff counsel Laura Dumais said. “I think everybody’s just trying to move forward; it’s so unfortunate what’s happening,” Dumais said. A religious denomination that played a pivotal role in ...

Interior implements Trump’s essay requirement in federal hiring

by PEER | July 8, 2025
OPM quickly backpedaled on the essay requirement in the wake of a formal complaint by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, saying it would retain the essay questions in the new hiring process but downgrade their importance. Read the PEER Story… ...

OPM backs off pro-Trump essay requirement for job applicants

by PEER | July 2, 2025
In a quick turnaround following complaints by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the Office of Personnel Management has softened a requirement imposed in late May that federal job-seekers write four short essays, including an explanation of how they would “help implement ...

Who could be fired more easily? Interior is not saying.

by PEER | June 25, 2025
Jeff Ruch, who serves as senior counsel to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, warned that efforts to shed protections for career employees, or make them easier to fire, could result in a significant waste of federal resources, as well as talent. “If they get rid of a ...

‘Sitting duck’? Meet an EPA environmental justice staffer.

by PEER | June 4, 2025
“People thought I was going to come in like a hammer, basically, for EJ communities,” Rayasam said. “The first thing I would say to literally anybody is ‘You guys have a mountain of work, and I’m just here to try to figure out how to help you get it done. I&# ...
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