A quarter of the staff in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division has considered leaving the agency in the wake of a disciplinary program, according to an internal review obtained by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Consultants who conducted the review reported a pattern of disciplinary actions being handed down “arrogantly and harshly.” According to the review, the reports were “too numerous to be attributed to sour grapes among a few bad applies.” Cynthia Giles, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance was critical of the review’s conclusions. The consultants “were not in a position to make many of the sweeping conclusions they made in their report” given how they conducted the review, she said.

Article Authored by McAfee & Taft Attorney: Chris Paul.