EPA workers in Duluth placed on leave after signing letter criticizing Trump policies

Federal workers living in Wisconsin and Minnesota are among those who have been placed on administrative leave by the Environmental Protection Agency after they voiced concerns about politicization of the agency.

Hundreds of current and former EPA employees signed a letter opposing the administration’s policies, saying they undermine the agency’s mission to protect public health and the environment. In response, the EPA placed 139 workers on paid leave and launched an investigation into those who signed the letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The letter, which now lists more than 600 anonymous signers, outlined five key concerns about the Trump administration’s decisions: undermining public trust with political messaging; ignoring scientific research to benefit polluters; canceling environmental justice programs; dismantling the agency’s Office of Research and Development; and sowing fear among workers.

The decision has affected half a dozen staff at EPA’s lab in Duluth, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Nicole Cantello, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 704, represents about 1,000 employees in the Great Lakes region. Cantello, who signed the letter, called the move a great overreaction by the agency.

“We think they’ve completely overstepped here. These employees have rights,” Cantello said. “They have not really considered, prior to putting people on administrative leave, the amount of harm it’s causing the American people by having these people sidelined.”

Cantello said union officials believe employee concerns outlined in the letter are protected by the First Amendment and federal whistleblower laws. The letter was organized by the group Stand Up for Science, which was formed this year in the wake of federal cuts.

WPR contacted around half a dozen EPA employees, and most did not return calls. One agency worker, who spoke to WPR anonymously for fear of retaliation, said they were distressed after being placed on leave.

Cantello said workers will remain on leave through July 17, noting the agency could extend that period.

EPA claims letter misleads the public

The EPA said it placed 139 workers on leave because they used their official titles and positions within the agency when signing the letter, which it claims misleads the public about agency business. The agency said the letter represents a “small fraction” of the EPA’s thousands of employees.

“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 said in an email.

Cantello said the EPA had not yet taken action to question or gather information from employees. She said the union will use every avenue available to protect workers under investigation, including legal action if necessary.

“What they want to do is come back and work for the American people and keep the environment safe here in the Great Lakes,” Cantello said.

Several Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives wrote a July 8 letter to Zeldin about the agency’s actions. They said the EPA’s move is “plainly illegal” and a violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act. They called on the agency to immediately return employees to work and brief the Energy and Commerce Committee on “the alleged basis for (the EPA’s) illegal action.”

As EPA workers have been placed on leave, the U.S. Supreme Court has also cleared the way for the Trump administration to resume mass layoffs or “reductions in force” at agencies. Cantello said the EPA is taking steps to conduct layoffs, but the agency is not revealing details.

The New York Times has reported more than 1,100 workers could be laid off under the EPA’s plan to dissolve its Office of Research and Development, which would include the Duluth lab. Cantello said that’s on top of about 1,300 employees of the department who have resigned as of mid-June.

House Republicans on Monday released their 2026 spending bill for the Interior Department and EPA. It includes a 23 percent cut to the EPA’s budget. The bill would reduce the agency’s budget by about $2.1 billion compared to President Donald Trump’s proposed $4.9 billion cut.