Dozens of Home Democrats pushed again on deliberate Environmental Safety Company (EPA) cuts in a Thursday letter to the company.
“We are particularly concerned by the proposal to eliminate up to 75 percent of employees within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD),” the letter, from Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, reads.
“Firing nearly 1,200 dedicated ORD public servants across the country would decimate the scientific backbone of EPA which provides independent, objective, and unparallelled research that informs Agency assessments and decision-making,” they added.
The letter featured the signatures of greater than 60 Home Democrats, together with Reps. Nikema Williams (Ga.), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Summer time Lee (Pa.), Don Beyer (Va.), Joe Neguse (Colo.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).
The Hill reported final week the EPA was contemplating the slicing of its science arm and dropping many of the workers of the department, per paperwork reviewed by Democratic workers for the Home Science, House and Expertise Committee.
The termination of the Workplace of Analysis and Improvement as an EPA Nationwide Program Workplace is named for in a plan reviewed by committee staffers. Fifty p.c to 70 p.c of the 1,540 staffers within the workplace can be minimize underneath the plan.
“While no decisions have been made yet, we are actively listening to employees at all levels to gather ideas on how to better fulfill agency statutory obligations, increase efficiency, and ensure the EPA is as up-to-date and effective as ever,” EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou stated in a earlier assertion.
In his letter, Landsman stated dropping “the majority of ORD employees would be particularly harmful to EPA’s work to address industrial pollution, contaminated air and drinking water, environmental health, and worsening natural disasters.”
The Ohio Democrat additionally questioned the EPA concerning the reasoning behind the workers cuts within the plan and the best way the company is prepping “to mitigate the loss of scientific expertise, institutional knowledge, and subject matter capacity resulting from this proposed action.”
When reached for remark, the press workplace of the EPA stated in an electronic mail that the company “is reviewing the letter and will respond through appropriate channels.”
Up to date at 5:42 pm EDT.
