Sean Reilly
seanatgreenwire.bsky.social
Sean Reilly
@seanatgreenwire.bsky.social
Clean Air Act reporter at E&E News, now part of Politico. Tips, story ideas? Text or call me at 202-316-4596; DM for Signal.
The first time I'm seeing this during the shutdown

"Because of the lapse in appropriations, EPA may not be able to assign staff to respond to your request and EPA’s response may be delayed."

This is on EPA's #FOIA public access link (where you file requests and download records)

#FOIA4eva
October 23, 2025 at 8:11 PM
And late Friday, #EPA posted the withdrawal rule: www.epa.gov/system/files...

#AirPollution
October 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Federal judges should still throw a stopgap Clean Air Act rollback rule, environmental groups say, even though #EPA is withdrawing it:

www.epa.gov/system/files...

#cokeovens #airpollution
October 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Sean Reilly
And yet @politico.com uses AI that sends glaring errors to our subscribers and violates our ethics standards.

Tell POLITICO management to follow it's own rules for accurate, ethical journalism and sign our petition.

actionnetwork.org/petitions/ai...
October 1, 2025 at 8:57 PM
While President Trump is usually described as a populist, his appointees at #EPA have repeatedly skirted public notice and comment requirements. Here's the latest example: tinyurl.com/h2a99pkc

#opengov
E&E News: EPA retreats on air pollution enforcement for Texas plant
In a rule issued without public feedback, the agency is withdrawing from a clampdown on one of the nation’s leading sources of sulfur dioxide.
tinyurl.com
September 6, 2025 at 4:36 PM
For the fifth time in two months, #EPA is resorting to a once rare rulemaking gambit to avoid advance public notice and comment requirements:
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene... via @EENewsUpdates

#opengov #incineration
E&E News: EPA suspends incinerator emission limits for disaster debris
The agency turned to a procedural and obscure tool to dodge public input in waiving the standards for burning debris tied to natural disasters.
subscriber.politicopro.com
August 26, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Sean Reilly
TODAY: PEN Guild heads to arbitration over POLITICO’s contract-breaking use of AI. This fight could set the standard for how AI is used in newsrooms across the country.

✍️ Sign our petition and help us go into arbitration with full support: bit.ly/PENGuild
July 11, 2025 at 1:02 PM
#EPA, again resorting to a procedural ploy to avoid advance public notice requirements, has granted the coke (and we're not talking about the soft drink) industry a significant compliance break on stronger hazardous air pollutant regs: tinyurl.com/mrx97upz

#Opengov #AirPollution
tinyurl.com
July 4, 2025 at 1:06 PM
ICYMI, #EPA sent this proposed rule to the White House regulations shop on Friday for a customary pre-publication review:

#rollback #GHG #climate
July 1, 2025 at 2:13 AM
New: A proposed #EPA science office would be "much smaller" than the agency's existing Office of Research and Development, per an internal email that provides much more detail on its structure than #EPA has publicly released. By Miranda Willson and me: www.eenews.net/articles/epa...
EPA science revamp calls for ‘much smaller’ office
The agency said the new program would focus on “statutorily required functions” with teams that “have different goals, strategies, etc.”
www.eenews.net
June 18, 2025 at 9:40 PM
ICYMI, more than 1,300 #EPA employees have followed through on "early out" offers requiring them to go on paid leave starting today, per agency data. Safe to say that this is #EPA's biggest one-time exodus in decades, if not ever: tinyurl.com/2nw9595x
E&E News: EPA employees stream for the exit
More than 8 percent of the agency's workforce — 1,334 staffers — will be taking “early out” offers.
tinyurl.com
June 16, 2025 at 6:21 PM
#EPA under Pres. Trump is set to publicly propose its first rollback of a major air rule following completion of a White House review. The rule's full repeal would save the power industry $860 million over a decade, lead to tons more toxic pollution, per an earlier EPA forecast:
June 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Looks like congressional Republicans will again be exploring possible changes to the Clean Air Act with a hearing scheduled for next Wednesday. The immediate question is how far they want to go:

#AirPollution #CleanAirAct
June 5, 2025 at 9:02 PM
May 27, 2025 at 9:12 PM
In an unusually caustic letter today, top Democrats on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee accuse #EPA political appointees of lying about plans for the agency's research labs: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

#ORD #Science #Zeldin
E&E News: Democrats demand details on the future of EPA labs
“It is time to tell the truth,” said House Science Committee ranking member Zoe Lofgren.
subscriber.politicopro.com
May 27, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Here's a short overview of the #Trump administration's new federal science policy, which comes with a requirement for agencies to relook #Biden-ere regulations. Much more to come when we next publish on Tuesday: tinyurl.com/mr3v3sh9

#science
Trump orders major revamp of agencies’ handling of scientific research
His executive order cites feds' handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, among other issues, as contributing to the public's loss of faith in
tinyurl.com
May 24, 2025 at 1:51 AM
And now this from the Energy Department:

#DOE #Fridaynewsdump
May 23, 2025 at 9:39 PM
I.e., there's a reason it was released at about 4:50 on the Friday before a holiday weekend.
In a new executive order, President Trump orders #EPA and other federal agencies to revert for now to the scientific integrity polices in place when he left office in January 2021. And there's much, much more: whitehouse.gov/presidential...

#science
Restoring Gold Standard Science
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 7301 of title 5, United
whitehouse.gov
May 23, 2025 at 9:26 PM
In a new executive order, President Trump orders #EPA and other federal agencies to revert for now to the scientific integrity polices in place when he left office in January 2021. And there's much, much more: whitehouse.gov/presidential...

#science
Restoring Gold Standard Science
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 7301 of title 5, United
whitehouse.gov
May 23, 2025 at 9:13 PM
After temporarily freezing implementation of strengthened hazardous air pollutant regs for some steel mills, #EPA is now advancing an interim final rule for the industry - thus far with no explanation of what the rule would do:

#AirPollution #steel
May 23, 2025 at 6:30 PM
As #EPA again prepares to implement the #Trump administration policy originally known as Schedule F, the agency won't say how many employees could lose civil service job protections. By @KevinBogardus
and me: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

#FOIA #opengov #ScheduleF
E&E News: EPA withholds records on jobs losing civil service safeguards
The agency denied a Freedom of Information Act request for information on positions that could be more vulnerable to firing.
subscriber.politicopro.com
May 19, 2025 at 2:29 PM
It should also be noted that just yesterday, a somewhat different three-judge panel not only granted a similar abeyance request in litigation over updated air toxics standards for power plants, but called off oral arguments scheduled for next month:

#EPA #AirPollution
February 21, 2025 at 8:35 PM
A little Friday afternoon news courtesy of the D.C. Circuit, where a three-judge panel has rejected EPA's request for a 60-day freeze on proceedings in litigation over the agency's latest "good neighbor" smog control plan:

#AirPollution #smog
February 21, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The Research Triangle Institute, a North Carolina-based non-profit that contracts with #EPA and other federal agencies, announces more than 200 layoffs stemming from the halt to foreign aid funding: rti.org/news/rti-int...

#RTI #DOGE #layoffs
rti.org
February 14, 2025 at 5:35 PM
In a motion filed Thursday evening with the D.C. Circuit, #EPA seeks a delay in oral arguments in litigation over a Biden-era update to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for coal-fired power plants:
February 14, 2025 at 5:33 PM