3 former Republican EPA chiefs give current agency a 'D' grade


They've been there and done that and now they're disappointed with the work of their successors.
Three former Republican heads of the Environmental Protection Agency told ABC News on Tuesday that the current EPA under the Trump administration deserves a D grade, or maybe "a little lower" for its work. Christine Whitman, William Reilly, and Lee Thomas, who led the agency under former Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, respectively, all agreed that the EPA's current leadership is supporting the "undermining of science" and taking a potentially "catastrophic" approach to climate change. They all also said they were concerned that the U.S. is heading toward undoing its recent gains in cleaner air and water.
"You need an agency that is credible, has consistency in its rule making, and is science-based," Thomas said, adding that he believes his old boss, Reagan, would want the agency to recommit to its original purpose.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Whitman and Reilly also both expressed excitement about the Green New Deal — at least in the sense that it has helped bring environmental policy to the forefront of the current political discourse.
The trio were in Washington to testify before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, where they were also joined by another former EPA chief, Gina McCarthy, who led the agency under former President Barack Obama. Read more at ABC News.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly Tuttle
Feature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!
Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitions
Feature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other cities
speed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material