STOP PUNISHING EPA WORKERS FOR SPEAKING OUT!
Administrator Lee Zeldin
Sign this petition to stand with EPA workers who are being silenced for defending sound science and public health.
Almost one year ago, more than 100 EPA employees were placed on administrative leave after signing a dissent letter raising concerns about political interference, censorship, retaliation, and environmental rollbacks at the agency. Many are still fighting to get their jobs back after being targeted for speaking out about threats to public health and scientific integrity.
Recent reporting revealed that internal EPA ethics officials determined the EPA workers were within their rights to sign the letter, and agency attorneys warned leadership that punishing workers for speaking out could violate their First Amendment protections. Despite those warnings, the administration moved forward with disciplinary action anyway, sending a chilling message to scientists, inspectors, and public servants across the agency.
EPA workers are responsible for protecting clean air, safe drinking water, and communities from toxic pollution and chemical exposure. When experts are intimidated into silence, environmental hazards are more likely to go unreported, enforcement weakens, and public health suffers, especially in communities already disproportionately burdened by pollution.
EPA employees should be able to raise concerns about threats to public health and fulfill their duty to protect the American people without fear of retaliation.
Sign the petition. Stand with EPA workers. Defend science, free speech, and every community’s right to a safe and healthy environment.
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Administrator Lee Zeldin
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[Your Name]
In light of new evidence showing a violation of Free Speech and whistleblower rights, we demand that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Trump administration overturn the firings and discipline imposed on EPA workers for signing a "Declaration of Dissent" in defense of scientific integrity, whistleblower rights and constitutional protections. We call on you to immediately reverse all adverse actions taken against EPA staff for speaking out to protect the American people.
On June 20, 2025, approximately 270 current and former EPA staff signed a "Declaration of Dissent" letter and sent it to you. The signers of the letter expressed concern over political interference, censorship, retaliation, and environmental rollbacks at the agency under your leadership. EPA staff signed the letter in their role a private citizens to raise concerns about the abandonment of public health protections and the politicization of science. Whether or not you agreed with the employees working under you, they had a right to speak out about issues of public concern.
In July 3, 2025, EPA (under your leadership) notified approximately 140 signers of the letter that they were under investigation and put on administrative leave until further notice.
After 80 days or more on administrative leave, EPA fired 20 EPA workers (including 7 on probation) and suspended the rest. This blatant act of retaliation against signers for speaking out on a matter of public concern— public health and environmental policy— violates the First Amendment. It also removes any protections for whistleblowers reporting on the reckless abandonment of EPA's core mission. The imposed discipline was a futile attempt by the Trump administration to silence its own workforce and set an example.
By alerting the public and Congress that the administration was endangering public health, the dissenters fulfilled their oath to protect human health and the environment. The dissent letter criticized several of your policies, including:
- Moving to rescind PFAS "forever chemicals" drinking water standards.
- Dramatically rolling back chemical reporting requirements.
- Failing to enforce environmental laws protecting human health.
- Cutting research budgets and staff, including for toxicologists and environmental justice initiatives.
New documents and internal emails, obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by E&E News and analyzed by a legal watchdog and the employees union, reveal that the EPA ethics officer found that the act of signing the dissent letter complied with federal ethics rules. E&E News reported a short time later that an EPA personnel lawyer warned EPA political management that disciplining the employees for speaking out would trample their First Amendment rights. In short, your internal Agency experts found EPA employees were within their rights to sign the letter.
You pursued discipline against them anyway. When the ethics and free speech investigation failed to produce a valid case, the agency resorted to a vague charge of "Conduct Unbecoming of a Federal Employee" to justify retaliation against speaking out.
Even in light of the new revelations from internal counsel, EPA continues to retaliate against staff by defending the discipline of over 140 workers.
Overturning the punishments is crucial to prevent a chilling effect on free speech. Stifling dissent cripples the agency's ability to protect the public and is causing the loss of the experienced scientists and technicians needed to carry out EPA's mission.
We support the EPA employees' continued campaign to be exonerated. We call on you and the Trump administration to reverse course, to reinstate all those who were fired for speaking out and overturn all other discipline imposed. Speaking the truth to power is not a fireable offense. It's the public duty of every citizen who cares about protecting our health.