He said, “You have to be ready for anything. It could be a quiet day, and something can happen that spins you around. You have to be prepared for anything that comes your way.”
He explained how he has worked with local, state, and federal agencies and communities in a spirit of cooperation. “We are not here to tell people what to do. We are here to help them get back on their feet. We are here to make sure they are safe and that their environment is safe,” Kelly said.
For him, the proposed cuts and rollbacks are a slap in the face. “The fact that they are cutting our budget, it’s like they are saying, ‘We don’t care about you, we don’t care about your health, we don’t care about your safety, we don’t care about the environment,’” he said.
Butler, who works to engage communities affected by pollution and toxic sites, is worried about the impact of the cuts on her work. “We are the voice of the communities that are affected by environmental pollution,” she said. “Without us, who is going to listen to them? Who is going to fight for their rights?”
She added, “The work we do is not just a job. It’s a calling. It’s a mission. It’s about justice and equity. It’s about making sure that everyone, no matter where they live or what they look like, has the right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment.”
Flores, the chemist, echoed her sentiments. “We are the guardians of the environment,” he said. “We are the ones who make sure that the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we grow our food in are safe and clean.”
He expressed his dismay at the proposed cuts and rollbacks. “It’s like they are trying to silence us, to erase us, to make us invisible,” he said. “But we won’t be silenced. We won’t be erased. We won’t be invisible. We will continue to fight for the environment, for justice, for the future.”
Kramer, who works in hazardous waste response, summed it up best. “They can try to cut our budget, they can try to dismantle our programs, they can try to silence our voices,” he said. “But they can’t take away our spirit, our dedication, our commitment to protect the environment and the people who depend on it.”
As Zeldin, Musk, Trump, and others in power push forward with their destructive agenda, the dedicated civil servants of Region 5 of the EPA continue to stand strong, fighting for the environment, for justice, and for the future of our planet.
He received a call from a state environmental emergency official asking him to drop what he was doing because 20 minutes away a gasoline tanker truck had flipped over, spilling about 6,000 gallons of gasoline onto the roads and down through the storm sewer into local waterways.
When he arrived, Kelly asked the fire chief how he could help. He was asked to set up air monitoring. But then he noticed anxious contractors who were wondering if they were going to get paid for their work. “They’re ordering supplies, they’re putting dirt down to contain this gasoline from getting any further,” Kelly said. “But they’re like, ‘Are we going to get paid for this?’”
“I found the truck driver who was talking to their insurance company. So I get on the phone with the insurance company and say, ‘Hey. This is who I am. This is what’s happening here. You need to come to terms and conditions with these contractors right now or EPA’s going to have to start taking this cleanup over!’”
The insurance was covered. Kelly said he could not have been so assertive with the insurance company without a robust EPA behind him.
“It’s one thing to be able go out and respond to these emergencies, but you have to have attorneys on your side,” Kelly said. “You’ve got to have enforcement specialists behind you. You’ve got to have people who are experts in drinking water and air. You can’t just have one person out there on an island by themselves.”
“Cruel for the sake of being cruel”
Butler wonders if whole communities will become remote islands, surrounded by rising tides of pollution. The very morning of our interview, she was informed she was one of the thousands of federal workers across the nation who had their government purchase cards frozen by Elon Musk, the world’s richest human and President Trump’s destroyer of federal agencies. In launching the freeze, Musk claimed with no evidence, “A lot of shady expenditures happening.”
Butler threw shade on that, saying the purchase system is virtually foolproof with multiple layers of vetting and proof of purchase. She uses her purchase card to buy ads and place public notices in newspapers to keep communities informed about remediation of Superfund sites.
She has also used her card to piece together equipment to fit in a van for a mobile air monitor. The monitor assists with compliance, enforcement, and giving communities a read on possible toxic emissions and dust from nearby industrial operations.
“I literally bought the nuts and bolts that feed into this van that allow the scientists to measure all the chemicals, all the air pollution,” Butler said. “I remember seeing the van for the first time after I bought so many things for years. And I was like ‘Wow this is real!’”
Not only was the van real, but air monitoring in general, along with soil monitoring— particularly in places like heavily polluted Southeast Chicago—has been a critical tool of environmental justice to get rid of mountains of petcoke dust and detect neurotoxic manganese dust in the air and lead in backyards.
“Air monitoring created so much momentum for the community and community members to say, ‘this is what we need,’” Butler said.
Kramer is a chemist in quality assurance, working with project planners to devise the most accurate ways of testing for toxic materials, such as for cleanups of sites covered in PFAS—aka ‘forever chemicals’—from fire retardants, or at old industrial sites saturated with PCBs from churning out electrical equipment, insulation, paints, plastics, or adhesives. His job is mostly behind the scenes, but he understood the meaning of his work from one visit to a site to audit the procedures of the Illinois EPA.
The site had a small local museum dedicated to the Native tribes that first occupied the land. “The curator or director told us how the sampling work was going to bring native insects back to the area and different wildlife back to the streams,” Kramer said. “It was kind of a quick offhand conversation, but it gave me a quick snapshot of the work that’s being done.”
Kramer wonders how many more scientists will follow in his footsteps to see that the work keeps getting done. He remembered a painful day recently when a directive came down that he could not talk to contractors, even those who happen to work in the same building as he does.
“I see them every day,” Kramer said. “They come say hi to me. They know my child’s name. Being told that I couldn’t respond if they came to my desk, looked me in the face, and said, ‘good morning,’ is just such an unnecessary wrench into our system that just feels cruel for the sake of being cruel.”
Staff stifled, heartbroken
The culture of fear is particularly stifling for one staffer who did not want to give her name because she is a liaison to elected officials. Before Zeldin took over, she would get an email from an elected official asking if funding for a project was still on track and “30 seconds later,” as she said, the question would be answered.
Her job “is all about relationships,” keeping officials informed about projects. Now, she said just about everything she depends on to do her job has basically come to a halt. “Everyone’s afraid to say anything, answer emails, put anything in writing without getting approval. Just mass chaos all the way to the top.”
Relationships are being upset left and right according to other staffers. One set of my interviews was with three EPA community health workers who feel they are betraying the communities they serve because their contact with them has fluctuated in the first months of the Trump administration. They’ve had to shift from silence to delicately dancing around any conversation that mentions environmental justice or diversity, equity, and inclusion.
They did not want to be named because they did not want to jeopardize the opportunity to still find ways to serve communities historically dumped on with toxic pollution for decades because of racism and classism.
“Literally since January 20, my entire division has been on edge,” said one of the three.
As EPA staffers continue to navigate the challenges posed by the current administration, they find themselves in a precarious position. The fear of repercussions for their work on climate change initiatives is palpable, especially when it involves lower-income communities and people of color. The constant tiptoeing around the administration’s policies is disheartening, particularly for those who witness firsthand the impact of environmental toxins on families.
One health worker shared the heart-wrenching experience of delivering test results to mothers showing dangerously high levels of lead in their children’s bodies. The sense of breaking a promise to provide support and assistance in such dire situations weighs heavily on their conscience. Despite these challenges, EPA staffers are determined to uphold their mission of environmental justice.
In the face of baseless accusations and attacks on federal workers by President Trump, EPA employees stand firm in their commitment to protecting the environment and public health. Nationally, current and former EPA staff have spoken out against the assault on environmental justice programs, refusing to allow them to be dismantled.
Locally, in Region 5, efforts are made to boost morale among EPA employees through various activities like town halls, trivia nights, and happy hours. The union works to support probationary employees facing potential termination, emphasizing the importance of retaining talented individuals dedicated to public service. Despite the challenges and threats, many staffers find solace in remembering the core mission that drew them to the EPA in the first place.
For one EPA enforcement officer, the impact of their work became clear when monitoring lead levels in a community near a toxic industry led to swift corrective action and prevented further harm to children. Another staffer shared a personal connection to the mission, having lost her mother to cancer caused by exposure to a harmful chemical. The ban on this carcinogen by the Biden administration underscored the importance of the EPA’s role in safeguarding public health.
The looming threat of budget cuts and reduced resources at the EPA raises concerns about the future of environmental protection efforts. Staffers worry that if the agency is weakened, communities will suffer the consequences, losing vital support and protections. As they continue to face challenges and uncertainty, EPA employees remain steadfast in their dedication to serving the American people and upholding environmental regulations.
Ultimately, the shared commitment to the EPA’s mission among staff members serves as a source of strength and unity. Grounding themselves in their collective purpose helps them navigate the tumultuous political landscape and reaffirms their resolve to protect the environment and public health. As they stand together in the face of adversity, EPA staffers remain steadfast in their belief that their work is essential for the well-being of all Americans. The world of technology is constantly evolving, with new innovations and advancements being made every day. One such advancement that is gaining popularity is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various industries. AI is a branch of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines that can think, learn, and problem-solve like humans.
One industry that is seeing a significant impact from the use of AI is healthcare. AI has the potential to revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered, making it more efficient, accurate, and cost-effective. From diagnosis to treatment, AI is being used in various aspects of healthcare to improve patient outcomes.
One of the main benefits of using AI in healthcare is its ability to analyze large amounts of data quickly and accurately. This can help healthcare providers make more informed decisions about patient care, leading to better outcomes. For example, AI algorithms can analyze medical imaging scans to detect abnormalities that may be missed by human radiologists, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment.
AI is also being used in personalized medicine, where treatments are tailored to individual patients based on their genetic makeup, lifestyle, and medical history. This can lead to more effective treatments with fewer side effects, improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
In addition to diagnosis and treatment, AI is also being used in healthcare administration to streamline processes and reduce costs. AI-powered chatbots are being used to answer patient queries, schedule appointments, and provide information about healthcare services. This can help reduce the administrative burden on healthcare providers and improve patient satisfaction.
Despite the many benefits of using AI in healthcare, there are also challenges and concerns that need to be addressed. One of the main concerns is the ethical implications of using AI in healthcare, such as patient privacy and data security. There are also concerns about the potential for bias in AI algorithms, which could lead to disparities in healthcare outcomes.
Overall, the use of AI in healthcare has the potential to revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered, making it more efficient, accurate, and personalized. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovations in AI that will continue to transform the healthcare industry for the better.
