Sen. Lamar Alexander must save the EPA from gutting by President Trump and his allies

With so much chaos in Washington these days, it’s easy to understand why President Donald Trump’s attempt to slash the Environmental Protection Agency budget remains under the radar. But as a former EPA regional administrator for the Southeast United States, I believe every Tennessean should know two things:

The president and his allies in Congress are going to try to decimate the environmental safeguards that protect our children’s health and are essential to the state’s economy.
And U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander can stop them.

Just before Thanksgiving, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee -- on which Alexander serves -- quietly released a proposal that would slash agency funding and hurt Tennesseans in the process. It brings Trump and his allies in Congress one step closer to taking an ax to the agency that has been such a crucial partner for Tennessee.

Tennesseans know a safe and healthy environment is essential for the well-being of both people and the economy.

What Tennesseans may not know is that the state relies heavily on federal partnership and financial and technical support to keep its citizens' environment healthy. The EPA has long been that partner in preserving the state’s environment. But the agency is already spread perilously thin -- right now, the EPA’s budget sits at its lowest point in real dollars since the 1970s. And now Trump and his allies in Congress are moving to slash its budget to an unconscionable level that will leave it unable to perform its mission of protecting human health and the environment.

 It has long been clear to me that Tennesseans are adamant about protecting precious natural resources. You’ve partnered with the EPA to prod the Tennessee Valley Authority to clean up its act and stop raining down sulfur dioxide. You’ve partnered with the federal government to establish a wilderness designation for the Great Smoky Mountains to simultaneously produce tourism jobs while protecting land, air and water.

Tennessee counts on EPA funding. More than $230 million in grants help cities and the state protect people and the environment – like EPA support for air-quality monitoring to alert residents when the pollution is dangerous for children, the elderly or other vulnerable populations. For the more than 600,000 kids and adults with asthma in the state, these alerts are essential. People of color would be especially hard hit by EPA budget cuts; though studies show 62 percent of minorities in the U.S. live near toxic sites, the president would eliminate the EPA’s environmental justice grants.

If the president’s plan makes it through Congress,  sources of statewide drinking water like the Mississippi would be more prone to contamination. Funds for cleaning up toxic sites, like the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, could be cut or eliminated.

But Alexander can help stop this madness. The EPA’s budget will be negotiated in backroom meetings with the administration and Congressional leaders as they seek to reach agreement before the end of the year. During this crucial period, the senator’s votes and voices for fully funding the EPA will go a long way to keeping the people of Tennessee safe and sound.

Without his support, Tennessee can look forward to moving backward. More pollution, thwarting tourism and endangering public health. More smog and asthma attacks and fewer air-quality warnings. More risks to drinking water and outdoor life. The only thing that will be clear is the outcome: Tennessee and Tennesseans will lose out.

Heather McTeer Toney is the former regional administrator for EPA Region 4.