The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday put on administrative leave 139 employees who signed a 鈥渄eclaration of dissent鈥� with its policies, accusing them of 鈥渦nlawfully undermining鈥� the Trump administration's agenda.
In a letter made public Monday, the employees wrote that the agency is no longer living up to its mission to protect human health and the environment. The letter represented rare public criticism from agency employees who knew they could face blowback for speaking out against a weakening of funding and federal support for climate, environmental and health science.
In a statement Thursday, the EPA said it has a 鈥渮ero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting鈥� the Trump administration鈥檚 agenda.
Employees were notified that they had been placed in a 鈥渢emporary, non-duty, paid status鈥� for the next two weeks, pending an 鈥渁dministrative investigation,鈥� according to a copy of the email obtained by The Associated Press. 鈥淚t is important that you understand that this is not a disciplinary action,鈥� the email read.
More than 170 EPA employees put their names to , with about 100 more signing anonymously out of fear of retaliation, according to Jeremy Berg, a former editor-in-chief of Science magazine who is not an EPA employee but was among non-EPA scientists or academics to also sign.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health , when nearly 100 employees signed a declaration that assailed Trump administration 鈥減olicies that undermine the NIH mission, , and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe.鈥� An additional 250 of their colleagues endorsed the declaration without using their names.
But no one at NIH has been placed on administrative leave for signing the declaration and there has been no known retribution against them, Jenna Norton, a lead organizer of the statement, told AP on Thursday. Norton oversees health disparity research at the agency鈥檚 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, in his confirmation hearings, had pledged openness to views that might conflict with his own, saying dissent is the 鈥渆ssence of science.鈥�
Under Administrator Lee Zeldin, EPA has in minority communities, vowed to roll back federal regulations that lower , wants to and proposed repealing rules that from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.
Zeldin began as part of his push to slash its budget and gut its study of climate change and environmental justice. And he鈥檚 seeking to roll back pollution rules that an AP examination found were estimated to save .
The EPA responded to the employees' letter earlier this week by saying policy decisions 鈥渁re a result of a process where Administrator Zeldin is briefed on the latest research and science by EPA鈥檚 career professionals, and the vast majority who are consummate professionals who take pride in the work this agency does day in and day out.鈥�
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The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Melina Walling, The Associated Press
