Former EPA manager turned whistleblower, William Sanjour recently published, From The Files Of A Whistleblower: Or how EPA was captured by the industry it regulated. In 1991, Sanjour challenged rules restricting EPA workers’ right to speak to environmental community groups. As a result of his challenge, the court ordered a nationwide injunction upholding the First Amendment right of federal employees to criticize their agencies.
From The Files Of A Whistleblower details Sanjour’s experiences working for the EPA, which led him to risk his career by becoming a whistleblower. It explains how a federal program intended to regulate disposal of toxic waste was taken over by the toxic waste disposal industry to the detriment of people living in poor rural areas around the country. Sanjour’s awareness of this take-over led him to become a champion for the poor rural communities that were affected. Readers will follow his journey from speaking at rallies in small towns around the country, to testifying before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, and then through his legal battle with the EPA when they attempted to silence him. The final chapter of the book outlines reforms that are necessary to make regulatory agencies work to protect the public health and safety.
William Sanjour is a member of the National Whistleblower Center’s Board of Directors.