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June 17, 2016

James V. Aidala Quoted In Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report Article On Last Minute Change To EPA Funding Bill

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

On June 17, 2016, James V. Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at Bergeson & Campbell P.C. (B&C®), was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report Article “Capitol Hill Angered by 11th Hour Change to EPA Farmworker Rule”.

Jim Aidala, a former senior EPA official who led the agency’s chemical regulatory office under the Clinton administration, said it is not unusual for an agency to change a regulation at the last minute, especially when there is interest from leadership at the Cabinet level or higher, which Aidala believes was the case in this situation.

But, when this does happen, EPA employees typically make an informal courtesy call to congressional staffers informing them of the change, Aidala said.

The EPA ‘‘might have benefited by giving a heads up to the Hill,’’ Aidala, now a senior consultant at the law firm Bergeson & Campbell, told Bloomberg BNA. ‘‘It’s one thing to say, ‘Sorry, this was above my badge level, things got changed.’ That happens.’’

Ultimately, Aidala said, an erosion of trust on Capitol Hill is never a good thing for a federal agency, since Congress ultimately controls the agency’s purse strings.

‘‘At the end of the day, the larger issue is the credibility of senior EPA officials on the Hill,’’ he said.