As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nears the half century mark, the public is largely apathetic towards the need for environmental protections. Todays problems are largely invisible, and to many peoples eyes, the environment looks like its doing just fine. The crippling smog and burning rivers of yesteryear are just a memory. In addition, Americans are repeatedly told that the EPA is hurting the economy, destroying jobs, and intruding into peoples private lives. The truth is far more complicated.

The War on the EPA: Americas Endangered Environmental Protections examines the daunting hurdles facing the EPA in its critical roles in drinking water, air and water pollution, climate change, and toxic chemicals. This book takes the reader on a journey into some of todays most pressing environmental problems: toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS, pervasive agricultural pollution, dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, and widespread air and water pollution from use of fossil fuels. Delving into the science, politics, and human dimension of these and other problems, the book illustrates the challenges of regulation, how todays war on science is undermining the scientific foundation upon which the agencys legitimacy rests, and why a strong U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is more important than ever before.

William (Bill) M. Alley, PhD, is an internationally-recognized authority on groundwater and an environmental science writer. He was Chief, Office of Groundwater for the U.S. Geological Survey for almost two decades. Alley has interacted with the EPA in numerous ways for more than 40 years and his experiences allow for an objective, critical look at the agency.

Rosemarie Alley is a freelance writer with extensive writing and public speaking experience. Bill and Rosemarie previously collaborated onToo Hot to Touch: The Problem of High-Level Nuclear Waste (2013) andHigh and Dry: Meeting the Challenges of the Worlds Growing Dependence on Groundwater (2017). The Alleys divide their time between San Diego, California and Longmont, Colorado.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1EPA 101PART I: DRINKING WATER2Take It from the Tap3Environmental JusticePART II: WATER POLLUTION4A Wicked Problem5Inconvenient ConnectionsPART III: AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE6A Never-Ending Battle7Costs, Benefits, and Politics8Climate ChangePART IV: TOXIC CHEMICALS AND HAZARDOUS WASTE9Toxic Chemicals10The Forever Chemicals11Superfund12A Success Story13Resurrecting the EPANotesSelected BibliographyIndexAbout the Authors