Region 2 Staff Fear EPA Reopening Plan, Faulting Wheeler’s Justification

EPA Region 2 employees in New York and New Jersey are raising major concerns about the Trump administration’s plan to “reopen” the agency’s Manhattan office, fearing COVID-19 risks, and are pushing back on EPA chief Andrew Wheeler’s justification that reopening is vital to return the agency to normal operations. One Region 2 source stresses that the agency never closed because of the virus, because staff have worked diligently from their homes during the pandemic. A number of Region 2 attorneys...