Tell Congress to end the shutdown!

In addition to costing hundreds of thousands of people their jobs, the shutdown has prevented key agencies from serving the American people. The EPA is one of the hardest-hit. The agency has basically been shut down, and 94% of its employees have been sent home.

Employees who “ensure continued public health and safety, including safe use of food and drugs and safe us of hazardous materials” have been sent home. Workers who protect federal lands and research properties have been sent home, as have employees who provide disaster and emergency aid. 505 Superfund cleanup sites in 47 states have been closed. And staff who write and implement greenhouse gas regulations can no longer come to work.

Tell Congress to end the shutdown and let the EPA get back to work protecting our environment.

It gets worse. The national parks are closed to visitors, but open to oil and gas drilling. Just a few employees will stick around to monitor the drilling activities. The Forest Service had to cut its staff, too, right in the middle of peak forest fire season.

Meanwhile, the threats to our environment will not rest. We simply can’t afford to let this happen—there’s too much at stake. Tell Congress to end the shutdown immediately!

-The Earth Day Network Team