Latest news with #NicoleCantello
E&E News
13-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
EPA exodus swells to over 3,000 staffers
Almost 3,200 EPA employees — or roughly 20 percent of the agency's workforce — have signed up to leave or retire within the next few months . Official figures released Monday reveal that 2,617 staffers have applied for either early retirement or the second round of a 'deferred resignation' program. That total comes on top of about 545 employees who had taken advantage of the first deferred resignation offering in late January, bringing the total to some 3,162, according to a compilation that EPA press aides did not dispute. Advertisement The looming exodus of rank-and-file workers is 'unprecedented,' said Nicole Cantello, president of a Chicago-area American Federation of Government Employees local, in a text message Monday.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration cutting Energy Star and climate reporting program
The Trump administration is cutting the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star program, which highlights energy efficient home appliances, according to sources and images of slides viewed by The Hill. According to one source, at a meeting Monday, staffers were told that Energy Star was being eliminated, as is the Climate Protection Partnerships division that houses it. Staffers were also told that the EPA was cutting its Climate Change division, which includes the agency's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. This program requires major polluters to report their planet-warming emissions. The Hill also viewed images of slides from a meeting with staffers that listed both the Climate Protection Partnership division and the Climate Change division as 'organization and programs eliminated.' The slides noted that staff 'may be reassigned to other positions.' 'In the briefing we heard that climate work will come to a standstill at EPA,' said Nicole Cantello, president of the AFGE Local 704 , a union representing EPA employees in the Midwest, in an email to The Hill. 'EPA's action is short sighted and disastrous for our people and our planet. With everything the nation is facing in confronting climate change, from dangerous wildfires to uncontrolled flooding, this is the time to ramp up the climate resiliency of our communities,' Cantello added. The plans were first reported by CNN. In a statement to The Hill, the EPA noted that it had announced a broad reorganization on Friday. 'With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency's core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback,' said an agency spokesperson in an email. The news comes after the Trump administration indicated in its skinny budget that it wanted to cut funding from the Office of Atmospheric Protection, which includes Energy Star and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The White House has sought to cut staff across the board — but has taken particular aim at climate change, which President Trump has repeatedly downplayed. The president has also lamented pushes toward more energy efficient appliances. Much of his criticism, however, has focused on regulations rather than programs such as Energy Star, which is a voluntary partnership. Under the program, companies that meet energy efficiency specifications can display the Energy Star logo to inform consumers that the government considers their product to be efficient. The move to cut the program is getting significant pushback. 'If you wanted to raise families' energy bills, getting rid of the ENERGY STAR label would be a pretty good way,' said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, in a written statement. 'This would take away basic information from consumers who want to choose cost-saving products easily.' Industry players have also expressed support for Energy Star, with various appliance companies and trade groups writing to the administration in March that it 'reduces burden and aligns with the laudable goal of freedom to choose from a wide variety of appliances.' Updated at 9:48 p.m. ET. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Axios
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
How the Trump administration is affecting Chicago and Illinois
Over the first nine weeks of President Trump's latest term, Chicago and Illinois institutions have emerged as prime targets for the administration's scrutiny. Why it matters: The rapid succession of threats, arrests, lawsuits and closures have been so numerous that it can be hard to keep track. Some of the actions have already impacted peoples' lives and jobs while other measures are on hold as they work their way through the courts. What's happening: We've organized a list of state and local targets to try to monitor the ongoing local effects of new federal measures. If we've missed some, please email to tell us. Local institutions under investigation University of Chicago and Illinois Wesleyan for alleged "race exclusionary practices." Northwestern University for alleged antisemitism. WBEZ and 12 other public media stations for underwriting practices. Shut down/canceled Department of Education local field offices of Civil Rights and Financial Aid that helped students navigate student loans and contest education discrimination. Social Security offices are on the chopping block, including one in Rockford, according to a DOGE list. U of Illinois Soybean Lab that trained African farmers on soybean technology and created opportunities for U.S. farmers. Chicago Immigration Court Helpdesk that helped migrants navigate the court system. Faith-based tree planting projects that maintained urban forestry throughout the Midwest. Temporary Protected Status for thousands of new arrivals starting as early as April. A USDA program to purchase $26.3 million in Illinois farm produce for local schools and childcare centers. Sued Illinois, Cook County and Chicago for their sanctuary policies. Downsized Housing and Urban Development's Chicago office lost 12 employees who work on records requests and act as intermediaries between HUD and others. EPA Region 5, which covers Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and 37 tribes, could lose up to 30 positions in the environmental justice division, AFGE Local 704 president Nicole Cantello says. The Department of Veterans Affairs, one of the largest federal agencies in Chicago, is expected to cut 80,000 positions nationwide. Threatened Lurie Children's Hospital cut back some gender-affirming care because of federal funding threats. Illinois clean energy jobs after a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a plan that moves fossil fuel plants ahead of renewables in the line to get hooked up to the power grid. Federal buildings, including the Kluczynski and Metcalfe Federal Building, were on a list of properties potentially for sale that the General Services Administration later removed from its website. But that doesn't mean they aren't on the chopping block. Public art managed by the feds is at risk as the administration reportedly cut staff who oversee the Fine Arts and Art in Architecture programs. Ukrainian refugees' legal status as the Trump administration winds down parole programs put in place under President Biden that welcomed 40,000 local Ukrainian refugees. Translation of government documents after a March 1 executive order rescinding requirements for federal agencies to offer language assistance to non-English speakers. Federal educational funding for any schools with DEI policies. Scientific research funding to local hospitals and universities from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. USAID contracts. They are now bracing for potential new Mexico and Canada tariffs next month that could raise the cost of fertilizer and reduce sales to a big export market. Future of a Chicago Securities and Exchange office as the General Services Administration continues to reduce federal government office space.
CNN
06-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration expected to put EPA environmental justice and civil rights workers on administrative leave
Environmental Protection Agency employees who work in the environmental justice and civil rights office expect a new round of paid leave notices that will impact even more federal workers, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN. At an all-staff meeting Wednesday with employees from the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, agency leadership told employees that it will be enforcing President Donald Trump's executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion in the division. The executive order calls for the termination of 'environmental justice offices and positions.' Agency leadership told employees the order would be implemented much like it was in the agency's DEI office, two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told CNN. That office was shuttered and the employees placed on paid administrative leave two weeks ago. Employees in the environmental justice and civil rights office expect to receive formal written notification of paid leave in the coming days, according to the sources. It is unclear exactly how many individuals would be impacted. Roughly 200 federal employees work in this division of the EPA. One of the two unions that represent EPA employees said more than 100 employees may be impacted. 'If more than 100 EPA employees are placed on administrative leave tomorrow, it will be unprecedented in scope and scale. We have not experienced anything like that in the 34 years I've been at this agency,' said Nicole Cantello, president of AFGE local 704, a union that represents EPA employees. Trump administration officials have said they consider environmental justice programs to be DEI initiatives. But many workers disagree. The agency's environmental justice programs are meant to ensure federal agency policies, grants and initiatives protect underserved communities from experiencing disproportionately negative health and environmental impacts from factors like pollution and climate change. This division was tasked with carrying out the Biden administration's Justice 40 initiative that ensured federal funding for things like tackling the climate crisis were distributed equitably, including to underserved communities. The EPA told CNN on Wednesday that no employees had been put on administrative leave but did not respond to additional questions.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration expected to put EPA environmental justice and civil rights workers on administrative leave
Environmental Protection Agency employees who work in the environmental justice and civil rights office expect a new round of paid leave notices that will impact even more federal workers, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN. At an all-staff meeting Wednesday with employees from the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, agency leadership told employees that it will be enforcing President Donald Trump's executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion in the division. The executive order calls for the termination of 'environmental justice offices and positions.' Agency leadership told employees the order would be implemented much like it was in the agency's DEI office, two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told CNN. That office was shuttered and the employees placed on paid administrative leave two weeks ago. Employees in the environmental justice and civil rights office expect to receive formal written notification of paid leave in the coming days, according to the sources. It is unclear exactly how many individuals would be impacted. Roughly 200 federal employees work in this division of the EPA. One of the two unions that represent EPA employees said more than 100 employees may be impacted. 'If more than 100 EPA employees are placed on administrative leave tomorrow, it will be unprecedented in scope and scale. We have not experienced anything like that in the 34 years I've been at this agency,' said Nicole Cantello, president of AFGE local 704, a union that represents EPA employees. Trump administration officials have said they consider environmental justice programs to be DEI initiatives. But many workers disagree. The agency's environmental justice programs are meant to ensure federal agency policies, grants and initiatives protect underserved communities from experiencing disproportionately negative health and environmental impacts from factors like pollution and climate change. This division was tasked with carrying out the Biden administration's Justice 40 initiative that ensured federal funding for things like tackling the climate crisis were distributed equitably, including to underserved communities. The EPA told CNN on Wednesday that no employees had been put on administrative leave but did not respond to additional questions.
