Under the Trump Administration, federal employees dedicated to causes like climate change mitigation face uncertain prospects. They could turn to accommodating state governments.
There's a new boss in the White House, and it goes without saying that many federal employees are unhappy with plans to de-prioritize departments like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. There's at least one place many of them can go when the going gets tough: California.
Recently, the president of California's Public Utilities Commission stood outside EPA headquarters to "recruit" new employees. According to Elizabeth Shogren, "Picker explained that he has 250 job openings and more on the way. California's Air Resources Board and Energy Commission also have opportunities for federal employees frustrated with the direction the Trump administration is headed." Picker also stood outside the Energy Department's headquarters.
Shogren writes, "Picker's recruitment drive is more than a publicity stunt: His agency is short-staffed already, and he's steadily losing employees to retirement." While there hasn't been a mass exodus (yet) from the EPA, the rhetoric of the president and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt isn't promising for federal workers dedicated to fighting climate change.
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