Environmental Safety Company employees took to the streets throughout the US as we speak to protest drastic cuts President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE have made on the federal company whose mission is to “shield human well being and the atmosphere.”
Musk, the face of DOGE and the goal of rising protests at Tesla dealerships, was a much bigger title on the rally than Trump. “How do you spell corruption? E-L-O-N” employees and their supporters chanted at a picket line in entrance of a federal constructing in New York Metropolis. Some held indicators with “this man just isn’t our boss” written in pink over a sketch of Musk’s face. Greater than 150 folks rallied with picket indicators chanting “Transfer, DOGE, get out the best way,” to the tune of a Ludacris tune, and “What will we do when clear land/air/water/science is beneath assault? Arise, combat again!”
The employees, represented by union AFGE Council 238, held marches in 8 cities as a part of a ‘Nationwide Day of Motion.’ Plans to dismantle a lot of the company and weaken protections in opposition to air pollution put Individuals in danger, EPA employees warn.
“I work on implementing laws that take care of hazardous waste and poisonous substances, which is figure that I really feel just isn’t a partisan challenge.”
“I work on implementing laws that take care of hazardous waste and poisonous substances, which is figure that I really feel just isn’t a partisan challenge,” says Suzanne Englot, an legal professional who works in enforcement on the EPA. “Everybody desires to ensure that hazardous waste and poisonous substances are correctly regulated, disposed of, saved and all of that. However in these instances, it makes me nervous that issues are going to alter.”
The EPA, beneath Trump’s government orders, is now barred from taking any enforcement or compliance actions that might “shut down any stage of vitality manufacturing” except there’s an “imminent and substantial” well being menace, based on a memo that EPA management issued on March twelfth.
On the identical day, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin introduced what he referred to as “the best day of deregulation our nation has seen,” proposing rollbacks on dozens of guidelines meant to curb air pollution from energy vegetation, oil and fuel refineries, chemical vegetation, vehicles and vehicles, factories, and extra.
The Trump administration has additionally moved to shutter the company’s scientific analysis workplace and environmental justice workplaces. Trump has mused about chopping the EPA’s funds by 65 %. Round 1,100 probationary staff on the EPA obtained discover in January telling them the company “has the suitable to right away terminate you.” A federal decide later ordered the Trump administration to rehire lots of of employees who had been laid off on the company. And the White Home faces extra authorized challenges over its dismantling of federal companies and deregulation spree.
Each Trump and billionaire-backer Musk complained about laws slowing firms down throughout final yr’s election season. “It prices far more to do issues environmentally clear,” Trump stated in an interview with Joe Rogan on October twenty fifth.
“We’ve obtained to have smart spending. And we’ve obtained to have deregulation …. I’m pro-environment, [but] I don’t assume we should always vilify the oil and fuel trade as a result of they’re protecting civilization going proper now,” Musk stated in his X interview with Trump on August twelfth. Musk later wielded a chainsaw “for forms” on the Conservative Political Motion Convention stage final month.
“Elon is perpetuating a local weather of worry and focusing on federal employees and the mission that they perform to guard human well being and the atmosphere,” EPA environmental engineer Harper Stanfield informed The Verge on the rally in New York Metropolis. “We will’t let EPA be silenced by billionaires.”
Trump has accepted tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in funding from the oil and fuel trade. Elon Musk spent greater than $250 million serving to Trump get elected. The president then handed Musk the ability to dramatically makeover federal companies by his put up main the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
In an e-mail to The Verge, the EPA stated that it’s “listening” to staff and made cuts to adjust to Trump’s agenda to eradicate packages it considers range, fairness, and inclusion initiatives.
Stanfield and Englot stated on the rally as we speak that they’re calling on Congress to behave as a examine on the manager department, and asking folks to achieve out to their elected representatives to help the EPA’s work.
“Democrat, Republican, impartial, whoever it’s, everyone seems to be impacted by this,” Englot says. “EPA’s work touches everybody’s lives.”
