Duckworth, EPW Democrats to Pruitt: Don’t Close Chicago EPA Region 5 Office
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the top Democrat on the Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee, and U.S. Tom Carper (D-DE), the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led their EPW colleagues in urging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to commit that none of the agency's regional or program offices will be closed or consolidated. Citing lessons learned from the Flint water crisis, the senators highlighted the need to instead empower regional offices like Chicago's, which often serve as the last line of defense in protecting communities across the country. The senators warned Pruitt that the loss of EPA offices and staff would cost the agency irreplaceable institutional knowledge and a valuable understanding of significant regional environmental issues.
Every other minority member of the committee joined in signing the letter to Pruitt: Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA).
The EPW members wrote, "For EPA to deliver on its mission of protecting our public health and our environment, it must be able to work with state and local governments on the distinct issues that face each region. This is why regional offices are so critical: state environmental agencies depend on technical assistance and consultation from their specific regional office. Whether reviewing discharge permits for compliance with Federal pollution standards and state water quality standards, or inspecting facilities to see if they are operating in compliance with their permits, we count on regional staff to provide guidance to state pollution control staff, the public and regulated entities."
They continued, "Simply put, EPA regional offices are critical to addressing the unique challenges facing their communities. As you acknowledged during your confirmation hearing, an important lesson from the Flint water crisis was the need to empower regional offices and make sure EPA civil servants possess the resources and the authority to act proactively when a state fails to protect its citizens. Families across our country rely on EPA to serve as a last line of defense when it comes to protecting their children's drinking water. Closing the regional offices will jeopardize their children's safety and increase the likelihood of another Flint water crisis occurring in communities throughout the country."
A March 21, 2017 memo sent by David A. Bloom, the acting Chief Financial Officer at EPA, proposed ways in which the Trump Administration could achieve the cuts proposed in the president's so-called "skinny budget" for Fiscal Year 2018. The memo included a proposal for rent avoidance at "several regional and headquarters offices Potomac Yards North, Region 1, Region 5, and Region 9, the decommissioning of part of the Las Vegas laboratory, and the release of the headquarters warehouse in Washington D.C." The proposal has been widely interpreted as an indicator that the EPA is considering closing regional offices like Chicago's and laying off staff who go to work every day to protect our environment and keep us safe.
The Region 5 Chicago office serves Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio and it is critical to protecting the Great Lakes, which provide 90 percent of the nation's fresh water supply and are a source of drinking water for more than 30 million Americans. The office is strategically located in Chicago to enable EPA to efficiently deploy experts to any corner of the region in response to an environmental or public health incident.
Full text of the letter to Administrator Pruitt can be found below and in pdf formhere.
Dear Administrator Pruitt:
On March 21, 2017, David A. Bloom, the acting Chief Financial Officer at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sent a memo to acting executives at EPA providing guidance on how the Trump Administration could achieve the budget cuts proposed in the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Blueprint. This guidance included a proposal for rent avoidance at "several regional and headquarters offices Potomac Yards North, Region 1, Region 5, and Region 9, the decommissioning of part of the Las Vegas laboratory, and the release of the headquarters warehouse in Washington D.C."
We are deeply troubled by the guidance in the March 21 memo, which appears to validate prior public reports that the Office of Management and Budget directed EPA to eliminate two EPA Regions, and seek your personal commitment that no regional office - including the offices listed above - will be closed or consolidated.
For EPA to deliver on its mission of protecting our public health and our environment, it must be able to work with state and local governments on the distinct issues that face each region. This is why regional offices are so critical: state environmental agencies depend on technical assistance and consultation from their specific regional office. Whether reviewing discharge permits for compliance with Federal pollution standards and state water quality standards, or inspecting facilities to see if they are operating in compliance with their permits, we count on regional staff to provide guidance to state pollution control staff, the public and regulated entities.
Simply put, EPA regional offices are critical to addressing the unique challenges facing their communities. As you acknowledged during your confirmation hearing, an important lesson from the Flint Water Crisis was the need to empower regional offices and make sure EPA civil servants possess the resources and the authority to act proactively when a state fails to protect its citizens. Families across our country rely on EPA to serve as a last line of defense when it comes to protecting their children's drinking water. Closing the regional offices will jeopardize their children's safety and increase the likelihood of another Flint Water Crisis occurring in communities throughout the country.
Furthermore, we owe a depth of gratitude to the civil servants who have dedicated the careers to keeping their communities safe. EPA employees include some of the best among us: they are scientists, engineers, and environmental specialists who are responsible for keeping our communities safe from pollution. Cutting these jobs in the name of efficiency is irresponsible and shortsighted. If regional EPA staff go, the agency will lose irreplaceable institutional knowledge and employees with a deep understanding of highly technical and, complicated, and regionally specific environmental issues.
Again, we ask you to reaffirm your commitment to the agency you are tasked with leading and to the families you took an oath to protect by ruling out the possibility that any regional EPA office will be closed or consolidated.
Sincerely,
-30-
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