Many news sources are reporting that funding for new grants and contracts at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are frozen and scientists are barred from communicating with the public. This may be a normal part of the transition between administrations as new political appointees enter the agency. However, the new administration has made it clear they want to slash the EPA’s budget and this is something that should concern us all.
The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. If you enjoy clean water and air, you can thank the hard working people at the EPA. Budget cuts could mean that clean up and monitoring of Superfund sites may be neglected. There is a Superfund site very close to the municipal ground water wells that supply my family and 300,000 other people with drinking water (want to know if you live near a Superfund site: https://www.epa.gov/s…/search-superfund-sites-where-you-live). An EPA grant is being used to test the lead levels in Flint, Michigan. I could go on and on about the valuable work done by federal funding to the EPA.
The scientists at the EPA are funded by us, the taxpayers, and we deserve to know what they are finding. Hiding evidence of climate change or pollution by industry doesn’t change the fact that it is happening. Reasonable people can disagree on what action we should take and how to prioritize jobs, the environment, and other factors, but we should all be working off the best available evidence.