Former EPA chiefs, from both Republican and Democratic administrations, call for a “reset” of the agency in light of increasingly threatening environmental challenges. Lee Thomas, William Reilly, Carol Browner, Christine Todd Whitman, Lisa Jackson and Gina McCarthy voiced their concern over the far-reaching impacts of climate change on “air quality, infectious diseases, and water quantity and quality.” They acknowledged that environmental injustices are “putting lower-wealth communities, communities of color, and indigenous communities at disproportionately high levels of exposure, risk, and vulnerability to toxic pollution, not to mention the pandemic we are now facing.”
The group also expressed optimism for the future of the EPA, noting that “EPA has a strong foundation on which to build.” The open letter can be found here.
Economics Department