After SEPP e-mailed these two items to contacts here in Washington, D.C., we received a letter from another EPA scientist confirming the deplorable conditions at the Agency. This scientist agreed to let us post the letter, but asked to remain anonymous.

Excerpt: "Lord of the Fleas," Washington Times editorial, June 10)

More than 15 agency scientists, managers, staff and others complain that...threats and harassment...are in fact "pervasive" at EPA. Retaliation against whistleblowers occurs at "every management level" and involves officials at the highest levels, including the office of Administrator Carol Browner. In the meantime, they say, the agency is losing hundreds of millions of dollars to fraud and waste. And it is implementing regulations and taking enforcement actions that are based on unsound science.These actions may actually harm, not help, the environment and public health....Last year, in [an independent] survey,three out of four EPA scientists, managers and support staff responded that science is not well integrated into EPA's mission. EPA scientists know what Carol Browner cannot seem to understand:'Bad science does not protect the environment.' "

Letter to the Editor
Copyright 1998 The Washington Times
June 10, 1998

Your coverage of Bonner Cohen's National Wilderness Institute report, "The People versus Carol Browner," alerts the public to egregious misconduct at the Environmental Protection Agency ("Junked scientist," Editorials, May 12; "EPA microbiologist says agency is playing politics'" May 13).

Problems such as those publicized by EPA research microbiologist David Lewis are pervasive. Indeed, we find the situation so reprehensible that we submit this letter, risking our careers rather than choosing to remain silent.

Many of us work in the EPA's regional offices where environmental rules and regulations are enforced. There, as elsewhere with in the EPA, employees are harassed, even fired, for protesting illegal or irresponsible behavior by managers who jeopardize the proper enforcement of the law under Superfund, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and other environmental statutes. Most employees who suffer retaliation lack the determination, legal knowledge and resources to defend themselves.

At the EPA, retaliation against whistleblowers occurs at every management level. At times, it involves the highest levels of administration - including the offices of regional administrators and the office of Administrator Carol Browner. Because retaliation is supported at the highest levels, EPA's Office of Inspector General, Office of General Counsel, and the Office of the Administrator will engage in retaliation either singularly or collectively.

Even if the Department of Labor, the Merit Systems Protection Board, or EPA:s Office of Inspector General investigate and substantiate whistleblowers' claims, two results will inevitably follow. Whistleblowers will be fired or their careers dead-ended; and individuals who carry out the activities reported by whistleblowers, or who retaliate against whistleblowers, will be promoted to keep them from incriminating administrators who approve of their actions.

We are but a few of the EPA scientists, managers and affiliated persons protesting fraud or waste in our agency involving hundreds of millions of dollars, and alerting the public that EPA regulations and enforcement actions based on poor science stand to harm rather than protect public health and the environment.

At our request, Dr. Lewis has published some of our stories on his personal home page on the Internet at http://members.aol.com/LewisDaveL.

We applaud Rep. David Mclntosh's commitment to hold public hearings and hope that the Senate leadership will become vigorously engaged as well. Too many voices of those who would put the public interest above their own have been silenced inside the EPA.

Signed--EPA employees:

William Davis, research ecologist, Gulfbreeze, Florida.
Larry Fisher, staff accountant, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Arnie Grigsby, environmental protection specialist, Denver, Colorado.
Cate Jenkins, environmental scientist, Washington, D.C.
Mary Johnson, technical information manager, Narragansett, Rhode Island
Thomas McCurdy, physical scientist, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
William Newby, contracts specialist, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Brian Rimar, environmental scientist, Denver, Colorado
Valeta McDaniel, chemist, Athens, Georgia
Hugh Wise, environmental scientist, Washington, D.C.

Affiliated persons: Susan Chunnell, (grantee) senior environmental employment program, Athens, Georgia Thelma Dickinson, contractor enforcement specialist, Denver, Colorado David Gattie, (grantee) environmental engineer Athens, Georgia
For more information, see An EPA scientist responds