James V. Aidala Comments in BNA Daily Environment Report Regarding Trump Transition at EPA
The November 14, 2016 BNA Daily Environment Report featured comments from James V. Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant for Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., in the story “Trump Transition Team Expected Soon at EPA To Begin Review of Agency Actions, Priorities”:
Trump’s EPA transition team will likely receive ‘‘massive briefing books’’ on each of the agency’s programs, including air pollution, water, waste and pesticides, according to Jim Aidala, a senior government affairs consultant with Bergeson & Campbell P.C. in Washington D.C. Aidala, who worked at the EPA from 1993 through 2001, including a stint as assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances [now Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention], told Bloomberg BNA in an interview conducted before the election that those briefing books will need to include updates on pending litigation and decisions that need to be made early in the administration. Aidala highlighted a number of pending decisions that need to be made under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (Pub. L. No. 114-182) that was signed into law in 2016. For the new chemicals law, the incoming EPA team will need to be briefed on necessary implementation activities, including prioritization of chemicals for review and new hiring to expand the agency’s chemicals program, Aidala said.
Career Staff Cooperation Expected
Aidala, in a follow-up interview conducted Nov. 9, said that there may be some ‘‘initial skepticism’’ between some at the EPA and the Trump transition team. During the primaries, Trump said he’d like to eliminate the agency, but later backed off on that promise and said he planned to refocus the EPA on its ‘‘core mission’’ of focusing on clean air and safe drinking water. However, Aidala noted many of the mid-level and senior career staff at the EPA have been at the agency long enough that they’ve seen Administrations of both political parties come and go. ‘‘Career staff across the government are professionals,’’ he said. ‘‘There is a general duty to tell the leadership what is important and what is not.’’