A coalition of 54 environmental and civic groups as well as several unions, including NTEU, assembled outside EPA headquarters today to let EPA employees know that they support their efforts, and decry recent attacks on science, federal employees, and the environment.
As a really nice thank-you, they also passed out tasty cookies and delicious Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Yum!
You can download the groups' thank-you letter by clicking here, or read the entire text, below...
“WE STAND WITH THE EPA
Dear Public Servants of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
On behalf of the undersigned organizations and our millions of members and supporters, we extend our deepest thanks to you for the invaluable work you do every day as public servants for the United States of America and its people.
We rely on you to protect our air, land, and water from pollution and to clean up toxic and polluted sites, which disproportionately impact low-income people and communities of color and the most vulnerable among us children and the elderly. We rely on you to ensure the safety of chemicals that are used in everyday household products, from toys to carpets. We rely on you to help deliver critical investments in state and local water and wastewater infrastructure to ensure our drinking water is clean and safe. We rely on you to provide scientific facts that allow us to understand the threats posed by climate change and pollution. And we rely on you for science-based standards that Americans use daily, from consumers who want to understand the energy efficiency of appliances they buy, to beachgoers who want to know that the waters their families swim in are clean, to fishermen and women who need to know that the fish they catch and bring to market are free from toxic pollution.
The Trump Administration’s FY 2018 budget blueprint proposes cuts of 31% to EPA’s budget, the largest cut proposed for any federal agency and the largest in EPA’s history. The budget includes the proposed elimination of 3,200 jobs at EPA, 21% of its workforce. These cuts, if passed by Congress, would fundamentally undermine the ability of EPA, through your public service, to implement the efforts noted above, and others, which are grounded in our nation’s environmental laws, and which Americans rely on and strongly support.
At the same time, this administration has demeaned and disrespected the work that you do, and has disregarded the scientific facts and integrity that serve as the foundation of EPA’s mission and work. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the Executive Orders rolling back rules to protect clean air, clean water, and the climate, which EPA staff spent years developing through the painstaking collection of data and extensive public input.
We will not let this stand. We will defend you, your work, and the programs that allow EPA to fulfill its mission, in Congress, in the courts, in communities, and in the streets. Please continue doing the work that you do with your heads held high, knowing that millions of Americans appreciate, respect and depend on you. We are dedicated to standing with you.
In gratitude,
The undersigned national, state, and local organizations:
Alaska Wilderness League
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers
American Sustainable Business Council
Arkansas Public Policy Panel
Azul
BlueGreen Alliance
Bold Alliance
Clean Water Action
Climate Action Now
Climate Law & Policy Project
Defend Our Future
Earthjustice
Earthworks
Environment America
Environmental Advocates of New York
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental League of Massachusetts
Friends of the Earth - US
Global Progressive Hub
Grand Canyon Trust
Green For All
GreenCAPE
GreenLatinos
Greenpeace
Indivisible Forest Hills
Iowa Interfaith Power & Light
Latino Victory Fund
League of United Latin American Citizens
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Montana Environmental information Center
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Housing Trust
NC League of Conservation Voters
NCLR Action Fund
Nevada Conservation League
NextGen Climate
Oceana
Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
ProgressNow
Rate It Green (www.rateitgreen.com)
San Francisco League of Conservation Voters
Sierra Club
State Innovation Exchange
Students for a Just & Stable Future
The Climate Reality Project
The Natural History Museum
Union of Concerned Scientists
United We Dream
Voces Verdes
Washington Conservation Voters
Washington Environmental Council
Working America”