EPA History
Born in the wake of elevated concern about environmental pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened its doors in downtown Washington, D.C., on 2 December 1970. The EPA was established to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. EPA's mission is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment--air, water, and land--upon which life depends. For more than 30 years, the EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

EPA Library Closings
In early 2006, the EPA budget revealed a proposed cut of $2 million in Bush Administration's FY2007 Budget that would directly affect and close the network of 27 libraries and information centers within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. SLA vehemently opposed this decision and took action.

SLA was the first library organization to express grave concern with the actions of the EPA when SLA heard the news in February 2006. As the EPA moved to begin closing the network of 27 EPA libraries and information centers across the United States, SLA denounced the proposal to close EPA Libraries. SLA members were encouraged to contact their representatives to voice opinions on SLA's Legislative Action Center. On 24 February 2006, SLA, in collaboration with AALL, ALA, & ARL, wrote to the Honorable Charles Tayler, Chairman of the Subcommittees on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and the Honorable Norman Dicks, Ranking member, Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies regarding the EPA proposed budget cuts. Read Letter. In April, SLA staff met with EPA Staff to discuss proposed closings. On 16 May, 2006, SLA wrote Senators Barbara Boxer and James Jeffords regarding proposed budget cuts. Read letter. In August 2006 the EPA began to implement their budget plan before Congress could approve the budget. SLA continued to voice concern over the EPA decision to start their closures without weighing the impact. In August 2006, SLA publicly denounced EPA's decision to close libraries before Congressional action. Later on in the year Congress began to take action calling for the Government Accountability Office to look in to the EPA's closures. Read Article.

The EPA continued closing its libraries and started to sell some their assets. On 17 November 2006, Democratic senators and one Independent wrote to appropriators asking that the EPA be directed, through the budget process, to maintain physical access to its libraries while the public is given an opportunity to comment on planned closures. The letter refers to requests made by SLA and other organizations. Read Letter.

SLA staff met with EPA officials on 4 January 2007 and again on 19 January 2007.

SLA continued to voice opposition the EPA's decision. In 22 January 2007, the agency agreed to stop closing libraries without further consultation. SLA CEO Janice Lachance sent a letter to the Chair of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senator Barbara Boxer. The letter urged Senator Boxer to pursue agency officials, and to ask if they conducted the necessary research on the effects the reduction of services might have on the public's health and safety. The letter also suggested that the legal consequences should be looked into by the U.S. Justice Department about digitizing and impending use of the EPA's official documents. Additionally, the letter gave an account of SLA's involvement in EPA library closures hearing in Janice Lachance's blog. Read Senator Boxer's statement at the full committee hearing on oversight of 2007 EPA decisions. Read hearing testimony from EPA's Administrator.

Early in February 2007, warning that plans to slash services at the EPA's network of 27 libraries could threaten public health and safety by hindering environmental research, SLA urged the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to review EPA's intentions carefully and to encourage the Agency to develop a realistic plan and budget to provide continued public access to EPA data. Read press release. On 9 May 2007, SLA staff continued the dialogue with the EPA by meeting with EPA officials in an effort to clarify media reports that libraries were closing and materials discarded within the EPA's regional library network.
Read press release.

Most recently, in March 2008, SLA provided comments for the record regarding the House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight on the EPA. The comments specifically addressed the issue of authentication of digitized documents housed in EPA libraries that may be required in legal proceedings. Read letter. On 27 March 2008, SLA met with EPA officials to review the agency's report to the U.S. Congress on the future direction of its library network. The report lays out the general approach EPA plans to take for each library location to reopen, and establishes operational standards applicable to all libraries in the EPA network.
Read press release.

SLA would like to thank all of the members who have written to their representatives and have given their input on this issue. For those who would like to become involved please feel free to view SLA's Legislative Action Center.

SLA's press releases about EPA:
SLA Denounces Proposal to Close EPA Libraries
SLA Denounces EPA Decision to Close Libraries Before Congressional Action

Here are more sources about the EPA closures:

Lawmakers say EPA numbers don't add up.
EPA official tries to allay library fears.
EPA scrubbing library website to make reports unavailable.
Read the EPA 2007 Plan.
GAO agrees to review agency's plans for digitizing.
Listen to National Public Radio (NPR) discussion.
More Articles about the EPA: PEER, ISTL Viewpoints, EPA Newsroom.
For the lighter side of a serious topic, view a cartoon on the EPA.