Latest news with #administrativeLeave
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EPA workers in RTP among those put on leave for criticizing Trump, Zeldin policies
Environmental Protection Agency workers in Research Triangle Park are among those the agency has put on administrative leave for signing a letter criticizing EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. At least six Triangle staff members are currently on leave, says Holly Wilson, an EPA employee and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3347, which represents area agency workers. These employees will be paid but are barred from all agency duties through July 17, 'pending an administrative investigation,' according to an internal EPA email sent on July 3 and reviewed by The News & Observer. The agency confirmed it placed 139 workers on leave last week after they signed a letter addressed to Zeldin, which accused his administration of 'recklessly undermining the EPA mission' in five areas, including 'undermining public trust' and 'ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters.' The petition was hosted on the website of Stand Up For Science, a nonprofit advocacy group launched in February to protest federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump. While some EPA employees signed the dissent letter anonymously, others entered their names. In a statement Monday, the EPA said it 'has a zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the administration's agenda as voted for by the great people of this country last November.' The agency also said the workers on leave represented 'a small fraction' of the EPA's total workforce. Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from Long Island, was confirmed to lead the environmental agency shortly after President Trump retook office. In May, he said his agency aimed to lower spending by $300 million and reduce employment to its 1980s level. Entering the new Trump administration, the EPA had more than 15,000 total employees, down from more than 17,000 workers in 2010. The EPA said the employees on leave had included their agency positions when signing the petition, which could have given the impression they were acting in their professional capacities. Yet Wilson argues signing the letter was a protected act of free speech. 'The mildest dissent should not be met with fear and intimidation,' she said. 'Staff are within their rights to engage with management when they have concerns. In fact, it is their duty.' In a statement Monday, the American Federation of Government Employees demanded the return of all EPA workers on leave and said it planned 'to protect its members to the fullest extent of the law and our contract.' The EPA campus in Research Triangle Park focuses on air-quality regulations and is the agency's biggest site. More than 2,000 full-time federal employees and contractors reported to its facilities, as of last year. This site also housed a significant portion of the agency's scientific research division, called the Office of Research and Development, which the Trump administration has proposed reorganizing into a smaller Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions. 'Dismantling the Office of Research and Development' was one of the five concerns EPA staff listed in their dissent letter.
E&E News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
EPA puts 139 employees on leave who criticized administration
EPA has put more than 100 employees on administrative leave after they signed a letter criticizing the Trump administration, the agency said Thursday. The staffers on leave include 139 current EPA employees who signed an open letter to Administrator Lee Zeldin blasting the Trump administration's regulatory rollbacks and its push to downsize the agency's funding and staffing levels, EPA said Thursday. Those employees are on leave pending an investigation, the agency said, after they signed on to a letter using their official titles and EPA positions. 'We have a ZERO tolerance policy for agency bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the agenda of this administration as voted for by the great people of this country last November,' EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. Advertisement 'Unfortunately, a small number of employees signed onto a public letter, written as agency employees, using their official work title, that was riddled with misinformation regarding agency business,' Zeldin said in the statement. 'Our ZERO tolerance policy is in full force and effect and will be unapologetically implemented unconditionally.' Staffers began to receive notice Thursday that they were being put on 10 days of administrative leave pending an administrative investigation, said Nicole Cantello, president of a union local that represents EPA employees in the Chicago region. 'It's basically a demonstration of weakness, not strength,' said Cantello, who signed onto the letter. 'They couldn't control these people,' Cantello said of the agency leadership. 'Instead of trying to engage them, they decided, 'Oh, yeah, let's discipline them or do an administrative investigation of what happened here,' which is not appropriate, obviously, and completely a dereliction of their duties.' Marie Owens Powell, president of American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, EPA's largest union, called EPA's actions 'disgraceful.' It's an 'obvious retaliation for individuals expressing their beliefs,' she said, adding that the union is investigating its legal recourse. On Monday, the open letter sent to Zeldin blasted the Trump administration for its treatment of EPA and its staff. The missive was organized by Stand Up for Science, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group that has coordinated protests and worked with employees at the National Institutes of Health that have been critical of the Trump administration. As of Thursday afternoon, the EPA dissent letter had 620 signers, including 387 who signed anonymously because they fear retaliation from the administration. The signatories also include former EPA employees.
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
EPA places numerous employees on leave for alleged misuse of official titles in unauthorized letter
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently placed nearly 140 employees on administrative leave amid an investigation into employees who signed on to a letter allegedly using their official titles and EPA positions. Written as agency employees, the letter contained information that misled the public about agency business, according to officials. The EPA confirmed it placed 139 employees on administrative leave pending an investigation. "The Environmental Protection Agency has a zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting the administration's agenda as voted for by the great people of this country last November," an EPA spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday. The letter came after President Donald Trump's administration in April fired or reassigned nearly 500 EPA employees. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin confirmed 280 staffers in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, Office of Inclusive Excellence, and EPA regional offices, were fired. Zeldin added that 175 others were reassigned. The EPA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Environmental Justice arms were also eliminated, as Zeldin cut back more than 30 Biden-era regulations. Though more than a hundred employees were allegedly put on leave, there are thousands of employees at the agency. The EPA did not provide Fox News Digital with any additional information about the situation.
E&E News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
BLM Wyoming leader retires after being placed on leave
The former director of the Bureau of Land Management's Wyoming office has retired weeks after being placed on administrative leave following an Office of Inspector General investigation that found he violated ethics rules and procedures. Andrew Archuleta, who since January 2022 had served as director of the Wyoming office that manages 17.5 million acres of public lands and 40 million acres of subsurface mineral estate, retired effective Monday, according to two Interior Department officials with knowledge of the situation and documents reviewed by POLITICO's E&E News. Kris Kirby, the associate state director who has filled in as acting director will remain in that post for now, according to the officials, who were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Advertisement BLM declined to comment.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Bellingham MA police sergeant charged after R.I. car crash. What's next
A Bellingham police sergeant has been placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest in Rhode Island, Police Chief Ken Fitzgerald said in a press release. Fitzgerald said police in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, notified them on Thursday morning, June 26, that they had arrested Sgt. Kevin Heenan after an automobile accident. Heenan is charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor and possession of firearm while intoxicated. Heenan, Fitzgerald said in the release, had allegedly crashed into a parked car. Based on both state Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission and Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission standards, Bellingham Police have placed Heenan on paid administrative leave, pending his arraignment. 'Choices to be made': Mass. police departments must adjust to new training standards 'At that time, we will reassess his duty status,' Fitzgerald said in the release. 'While on leave, Sgt. Heenan has been relieved of all police powers and is restricted from accessing department property, systems or equipment unless specifically authorized.' According to the release, Bellingham Police will conduct an internal affairs investigation. Heenan's arrest has also been referred to the POST Commission. Heenan joined the Bellingham Police Department in 2015, according to a Bellingham Police Facebook post. He was promoted to sergeant in April 2024. 'First step': Gov. Baker proposes new certification system for police Heenan, according to the post, was a member of the Massachusetts National Guard and was ranked a sergeant first class and a part of the 387th Explosive Ordnance Disposal of Company. He had served in several overseas deployments, including in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005-06 and responded to the Boston Marathon bombing and had previously served as support to the Secret Service during presidential inaugurations. He is also a field training officer for Bellingham Police. 'The allegations are deeply concerning and do not reflect the standards of values of this department,' Fitzgerald said in the release. 'The Bellingham Police Department is committed to transparency, integrity, and professionalism, and take all allegations of criminal conduct — on or off duty — very seriously. We are fully cooperating with the Woonsocket Police Department and Rhode Island judicial authorities as this matter progresses.' Citing the pending internal investigation, Fitzgerald stated that police would not comment further. At the time of this report, no one from the Woonsocket Police Department could be reached for comment on information about the incident. Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@ For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Bellingham Police sergeant charged in Rhode Island crash
