Jessica Kutz

Gender, climate and sustainability reporter

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Jane Clougherty has dedicated the majority of her professional life to researching the health effects of air pollution and, more recently, extreme heat. But in May, she got an email from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that ground her potentially life-saving work to a halt.

Sitting on her parents’ back porch in Boston, the Drexel University professor learned her research had been cancelled — effective immediately.

“There was no discussion, there was no warning, simply an email that said, ‘You’re done. This project is no longer within the administration’s scope. Cease and desist activities as of today,’” she recalled over the phone.

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