News Clips

From: Mother Jones “It’s hard to think of a scenario where an attorney general would be held to account because of administrative violations,” says Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represents federal whistleblowers. He ...

From: The National Memo “The Trump administration is trying to rush through a review of the Pebble Mine in Alaska with some public hearings not even having microphones for speakers. Also, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has stripped the regional EPA office of its power to make ...

From: Vox “Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an environmental advocacy group for government workers, published a startling memo showing that Pruitt made himself the final authority on decisions surrounding the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act, the central federal ...

From: National Parks Traveler “According to a release Tuesday from PEER, “studies show hunting and trapping outside Denali is having a big impact on the viability of wolf packs inside Denali, which is Alaska’s top tourist attraction, drawing more than a half-million visitors ...

From: Washington Examiner “Twenty-four hours have passed since a flurry of bad headlines hit, and Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is still standing. Lobbyists, Trump donors and conservative advisers tell John the decision on whether he stays, or goes, will come ...

From: E&E News “In an effort to discredit me for speaking out and to intimidate current EPA employees, EPA may have provided my private employment information to media outlets and a political opposition research firm following my retirement,” Southerland said in a statement ...

From: Inside Climate News “Authority previously delegated to regional administrators to make final determinations of geographic jurisdiction shall be retained by the Administrator,” Pruitt wrote to EPA employees on March 30. The memo was made public on Wednesday by Public ...

From: Greenwire “Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, said the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 is clear that the president — and only the president — can designate acting directors and assistant secretaries.” Read more . . . Read the PEER story ...

From: The Hill “The new order heavily downplays the role of local EPA experts in the field who in the past have made the final recommendations — and often decisions — regarding necessary environmental protections in their region.” Read more . . . Read the PEER story ...

From: CGreenwire “The photographs have caused a stir in Alaska and elsewhere, prompting state officials to call them part of a “media campaign.” PEER published the photos on the group’s website yesterday, calling it an “assault rifle slaughter.” Read ...

From: CNN “This action subjects safeguards for clean water across the US to filtration through one politician’s hands,” said Bennett, an attorney, scientist and wetlands specialist who formerly worked for the EPA. “Every corporation that wants a pass on Clean Water ...

From: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner “Despite getting one committee hearing last month, a bill that would ban wolf hunting on a section of state land near Denali National Park remains unlikely to advance in the Senate, according to the bill’s sponsor.” Read more . . . Read the PEER story ...

From: Inside EPA “EPA enforcement chief Susan Bodine says the agency plans to launch pilot projects using “informal” enforcement actions that notify a facility of a violation and aim to achieve immediate compliance without waiting for formal litigation steps, saying that while it may ...

From: WFTV9 ABC “The injury comes as watchdog groups say Florida is on pace for another record year for manatee deaths in 2018. A total 166 manatees have died statewide through March 2. Cold spells are to blame for 51 deaths. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility ...

From: Government Executive “The advocacy group PEER, using numbers from EPA’s results and analysis and trends website, concluded that the number of administrative enforcement cases initiated by EPA fell by more than one-third in 2017 from just five years earlier, and are on a course in ...

From: CNN “An environmental watchdog group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, is taking that approach with a handful of Interior Department nominees who it says have been in their temporary roles longer than the law allows.” ” Read more . . . Read the PEER story ...

From: The Intercept “Environmental enforcement cases have already dropped sharply in the past year. According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, “The 2017 case referrals to the Department of Justice for prosecution are below annual levels going back to 1990. The pace ...

From: Greenwire “Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said that parks risk giving donors undue influence over management decisions by relying on their money and that it’s wrong to force a public agency to ask for “spare change.&# ...

From: Truthout “The group suggested that the Strategic National Risk Assessment may have gone “missing” because it could cause political problems for the Trump administration, which has downplayed climate concerns and has been criticized for its response to Russian ...

From: Greenwire “”We’re not against cell towers per se,” said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “We want to make sure they don’t needlessly sacrifice park values such as serenity, soundscape and viewsheds.”” Read more . . . Read the PEER story ...