Environmental Data & Governance Initiative

This project explores the concerns, perspectives, & ongoing experiences of current & former federal employees who work(ed) for environmental, health, & energy-related agencies. If this is you, we’d love to hear from you! Please share with your networks. Project approved by Whitman College IRB.

❗Former & current fed employees @enviro agencies: EDGI is looking for confidential interview participants.

➡️ Interviews are ~1 hour
➡️ Participation is confidential (encryption & password-protection used)

Interested? Reach out to Scout Blum:
Signal @scoutblum.26
Email scoutblum @ gmail dot com

Community-Led FOIA: Introduction to the Project and the State-by-State Guide – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative By: Gretchen Gehrke, Jessica Varner, Bianca LaPaz, and Amy Xu What is Community-Led FOIA? At EDGI, we work to make public information […]

💡 New tool alert! EDGI has created guides on how to FOIA in *all 50 states*. FOIA (the Freedom of Information Act) helps ensure the government operates in the interest of the people. Learn more about community-led FOIA & the state-by-state guides in our new blog: envirodatagov.org/community-le...

Community-Led FOIA: Introduction to the Project and the State-by-State Guide – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative By: Gretchen Gehrke, Jessica Varner, Bianca LaPaz, and Amy Xu What is Community-Led FOIA? At EDGI, we work to make public information […]

💡 New tool alert! EDGI has created guides on how to FOIA in *all 50 states*. FOIA (the Freedom of Information Act) helps ensure the government operates in the interest of the people. Learn more about community-led FOIA & the state-by-state guides in our new blog: envirodatagov.org/community-le...

This is a great project and already generating some fascinating information from interviewees! If you are a federal employee in env'l, health, energy, climate work, please contact us!

Former and current employees of federal environmental agencies--participating in this project is one valuable way to share your experience 💚 info is below.

@enviroprotnet.bsky.social and @peer.org

This project explores the concerns, perspectives, & ongoing experiences of current & former federal employees who work(ed) for environmental, health, & energy-related agencies. If this is you, we’d love to hear from you! Please share with your networks. Project approved by Whitman College IRB.

❗Former & current fed employees @enviro agencies: EDGI is looking for confidential interview participants.

➡️ Interviews are ~1 hour
➡️ Participation is confidential (encryption & password-protection used)

Interested? Reach out to Scout Blum:
Signal @scoutblum.26
Email scoutblum @ gmail dot com

Science and Democracy Under Siege This administration's first 6 months have been characterized by destruction, division, and chaos.

@ucs.org breaks down the Trump admin’s assault on science & democracy in a new report. Citing EDGI, they note most of the substantive changes to fed enviro websites that occurred from 1/20 to 6/30 “related to climate change (44%) & environmental justice or equity (25%).” www.ucs.org/resources/sc...

1,044 facilities were responsible for the riskiest air toxic emissions from 2017-2022, but just over 1/2 were inspected by state agencies or EPA during that time. Still, they racked up 1,641 Clean Air Act violations, with one, Chevron’s notorious refinery in Richmond, CA, accounting for > 20%. 🧵3/3

Graph of "carcinogens with increased average risk to public health (RSEI score) during the 1st Trump admin"

The Clean Air Act has driven 📉s in some pollutants, but public health risks from dozens more have 📈 since Trump’s 1st admin.

(Polluters that pose the biggest threats to public health are often in marginalized communities. Stay tuned for our blog looking at air toxics at the community level.) 🧵2/3

A New Wave of Air Toxics Demands Real Enforcement – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative This is the first installment of our State of Environmental Protection series. This series utilizes public data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the current state of our e...

Trump’s enviro agenda is based on 3 ideas:

1️⃣ We’ve made enough progress on 📉ing pollution
2️⃣ Indigenous & communities of color aren’t overburdened by pollution
3️⃣ Polluters can be trusted to comply w/ laws

Each is wrong & we draw on EPA’s data to show it: envirodatagov.org/a-new-wave-o... (🧵 1/3):

The Trump administration is wiping out scientific data on climate change. The data heroes are ready. While the Trump administration is erasing critical health and environmental data from government websites, a group of scientists, archivists and volunteers is racing to rescue it.

The Trump Administration is Wiping Out Scientific #Data on Climate Change. The #Data Heroes Are Ready (via @envdefensefund.bsky.social) vitalsigns.edf.org/story/trump-... @archive.org @eotarchive.org @envirodgi.bsky.social @harvardlil.bsky.social @datarescueproject.org

The fight to save climate and environmental data from erasure The Trump administration is laying off scientists and taking down websites with crucial environmental tools and information.

“The reason that our work is so important right now is because information is under threat.”

EDGI's @gretchengehrke.bsky.social discussed the vulnerability of federal climate information and data on KALW radio. Listen here: www.kalw.org/show/your-ca...

1,044 facilities were responsible for the riskiest air toxic emissions from 2017-2022, but just over 1/2 were inspected by state agencies or EPA during that time. Still, they racked up 1,641 Clean Air Act violations, with one, Chevron’s notorious refinery in Richmond, CA, accounting for > 20%. 🧵3/3

Graph of "carcinogens with increased average risk to public health (RSEI score) during the 1st Trump admin"

The Clean Air Act has driven 📉s in some pollutants, but public health risks from dozens more have 📈 since Trump’s 1st admin.

(Polluters that pose the biggest threats to public health are often in marginalized communities. Stay tuned for our blog looking at air toxics at the community level.) 🧵2/3

A New Wave of Air Toxics Demands Real Enforcement – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative This is the first installment of our State of Environmental Protection series. This series utilizes public data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the current state of our e...

Trump’s enviro agenda is based on 3 ideas:

1️⃣ We’ve made enough progress on 📉ing pollution
2️⃣ Indigenous & communities of color aren’t overburdened by pollution
3️⃣ Polluters can be trusted to comply w/ laws

Each is wrong & we draw on EPA’s data to show it: envirodatagov.org/a-new-wave-o... (🧵 1/3):

Why the federal government is making climate data disappear Under Trump, climate denial has given way to something even more dangerous: climate erasure.

"If you suppress information and data, then you don’t have the evidence you need to be able to create regulations, strengthen regulations, and even to combat the repeal of regulations" - EDGI's @gretchengehrke.bsky.social in an article for @grist.org. grist.org/language/tru...

A New Wave of Air Toxics Demands Real Enforcement – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative This is the first installment of our State of Environmental Protection series. This series utilizes public data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the current state of our e...

While EPA attempts cuts to environmental justice grants and the Trump admin attacks environmental data, polluters operate with impunity.

In the first post of our #StateofEnvironmentalProtection Series, we analyze enforcement of the #CleanAirAct. Read our analysis: envirodatagov.org/a-new-wave-o...

EDGI’s @gretchengehrke.bsky.social & @jessvarner.bsky.social are organizing a panel for the Dec #AGU25 meeting in New Orleans! They’re seeking abstracts on community-based cumulative impacts research, policy, or methodologies. Abstracts are due July 30. Apply & share: agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/pr...

Chemical Companies Ask Trump’s EPA To Hide Potential Disasters Biden increased transparency around the risks of chemical disaster — industry lobbyists just asked Trump’s new EPA chief Lee Zeldin to roll that back.

2/2: The chemicals industry asked the EPA to take down information about the risks their chemicals pose, and EPA obliged: www.levernews.com/chemical-com...

Luckily, we’ve got the data backed up: github.com/edgi-govdata...

Inside efforts to capture federal data after ‘the big takedown’ America’s Data Index aims to serve as a “weather forecast” on the state of government data.

1/2: @publicenvirodata.bsky.social, which EDGI helped form, has archived ~150 environmental datasets! The first “was the EPA’s Risk Management Plan database, which houses the required plans of facilities that have hazardous chemicals.” www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...

Also I made sure to name drop ALL the players @envirodgi.bsky.social @eotarchive.org @SafeguardingResearch.fedihum.org.ap.brid.gy @icpsr.bsky.social @archive.org

This was a fun conversation. It was nice to talk about data librarianship as field as well as DRP. It is amazing how my field has evolved and continues to adapt to all this…

State of Environmental Protection: Introduction to the Series – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch project is covering the state of environmental protection in the US today through a series of blog posts. The goal of this series is to orient our current positi...

EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch is launching a new blog series to track the Trump admin’s impact on environmental protection. Our introduction is up now on the site. Check it out! (And check back soon for our first analysis of the series): envirodatagov.org/state-of-env...

State of Environmental Protection: Introduction to the Series – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch project is covering the state of environmental protection in the US today through a series of blog posts. The goal of this series is to orient our current positi...

EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch is launching a new blog series to track the Trump admin’s impact on environmental protection. Our introduction is up now on the site. Check it out! (And check back soon for our first analysis of the series): envirodatagov.org/state-of-env...

State of Environmental Protection: Introduction to the Series – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch project is covering the state of environmental protection in the US today through a series of blog posts. The goal of this series is to orient our current positi...

⚠️ The 2nd Trump administration is undermining environmental protection laws like the Clean Air Act and EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch is tracking the impacts.

Read the introductory post to our new “State of Environmental Protection” blog series, here: envirodatagov.org/state-of-env...

State of Environmental Protection: Introduction to the Series – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch project is covering the state of environmental protection in the US today through a series of blog posts. The goal of this series is to orient our current positi...

⚠️ The 2nd Trump administration is undermining environmental protection laws like the Clean Air Act and EDGI’s Environmental Enforcement Watch is tracking the impacts.

Read the introductory post to our new “State of Environmental Protection” blog series, here: envirodatagov.org/state-of-env...

“How datasets are archived & safeguarded for future generations will affect scientists’ ability to understand extreme weather & environmental change & society’s ability to respond. ... Scientists & those working with @publicenvirodata.bsky.social are scrambling” to preserve data.

Read the article ⬇️