Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior, Environmental and Related Agencies Subcommittee, is calling on the newly-confirmed Administrator of the EPA Lee Zeldin to reject any effort to purge his agency’s workforce.  Pingree’s letter follows reporting from the “The New York Times” that the EPA warned more than 1,000 agency employees they could be fired at any time without cause.

“These employees work on critical programs including cleaning up hazardous waste sites and disaster debris, enforcing environmental laws that protect our air and water and addressing climate change impacts on our most vulnerable communities,” said Pingree.  “Any efforts by the EPA to purge these employees undermines the agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment, putting communities and individuals across the country at great risk.”

Pingree emphasized that the EPA provides essential services to states and communities across the country, from ensuring safe drinking water to cleaning up toxic sites in support of economic development.

“This work cannot happen without staff – the majority of whom are based in regional offies and in the field, actually working to improve conditions on the ground,” she said.  “If you cut staff as drastically as these reports suggest, you will be failing the EPA’s obligations to protect human health and the environment,” Congresswoman Pingree’s statement conclulded.

“Why do you think the “Collins Press Herald” is not printing this information?  Maybe the daily supports the potential cuts that could threaten Maine’s health and safety,” states this blogger.