Wisconsin Biologist is Among Those Fired By EPA After Signing Dissent Letter
Superior resident Alexander Cole was one of at least 2 people fired from the EPA lab in Duluth.
Sources say six employees at the EPA’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division Lab in Duluth were placed on administrative leave after signing a letter June 30, 2025 that voiced concern about the Trump administration’s policies. Two of those six have been fired as of Sept. 3, 2025. Danielle Kaeding/WPR
A Wisconsin man is among employees fired by the Environmental Protection Agency in recent days after signing a letter opposing the Trump administration’s policies.
Superior resident Alexander Cole, 29, signed the letter as an employee of the EPA’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division Lab in Duluth, where he worked as a biologist. The agency placed him, along with roughly 140 agency employees, on administrative leave July 3 and extended that leave for almost two months.
On Friday, Cole received a letter of termination from EPA Associate Deputy Administrator Travis Voyles via email that took effect at 5 p.m. that day, saying his “continued employment is not in the public interest.”
“I signed that letter because it warned that the EPA is no longer using scientific findings to create and revoke regulation, and by doing so, it was placing American health in danger,” Cole said. “I still believe that. I have no regrets about signing that letter.”
Alexander Cole, 29, of Superior worked at the EPA lab in Duluth for just over a year as a federal employee, working on the EPA’s Ecotoxicology Knowledgebase Resource Hub. The agency fired him Aug. 29, 2025 after he signed a letter opposing the Trump administration’s policies. Photo courtesy of Alexander Cole
Nicole Cantello, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 704, represents about 1,000 employees at the EPA in the Great Lakes region. She said the agency fired at least five probationary employees and issued notices of proposed removal to another five tenured employees. She said the EPA fired at least two, possibly three, probationary employees at the Duluth lab.
For those given a notice of removal, Cantello said EPA employees could be fired 30 days from the date they received notice. Although, they will be given an opportunity to respond.
“The agency is moving to muzzle its employees in every possible way, first taking away their union, then hitting them with discipline meant to intimidate and incite fear among staff,” Cantello said. “That’s going to lead to less environmental protection for the American people.”
When asked about the firings, an EPA spokesperson said supervisors made decisions on an individualized basis following a thorough internal investigation, adding that the agency doesn’t comment on individual personnel matters.
“The petition—signed by employees using a combination of their titles and offices—contains inaccurate information designed to mislead the public about agency business. Thankfully, this represents a small fraction of the thousands of hard-working, dedicated EPA employees who are not trying to mislead and scare the American public,” the EPA spokesperson said.
The agency didn’t respond to a follow-up request on what details within the letter were inaccurate. The EPA reiterated it has a zero-tolerance policy for career staff who use their position “to unlawfully undermine, sabotage, and undercut the will of the American public” who voted in the November election.
“We are preparing for the worst, obviously, but we are hoping for the best,” Cantello said. “We’re hoping that the agency sees that these employees were exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Cole declined to comment on whether he plans to appeal his firing.
The Duluth lab employed 176 people prior to the loss of about two dozen researchers in May, according to the Duluth News Tribune. The lab’s future was in doubt earlier this year after the agency proposed eliminating the Office of Research and Development, which includes EPA research labs. An EPA spokesperson said it’s continuing to invest in the Duluth lab and others.
Scientists there research the effects of chemicals, nutrients and invasive species on the health of the Great Lakes and other waterways. Cole said its employees have been reassigned to other program offices as part of the agency’s reorganization.
Cole worked at the lab for just over a year as a federal employee, working on the EPA’s Ecotoxicology Knowledgebase Resource Hub. The tool is used, in part, to develop ecological risk assessments for more than 13,000 chemicals and 14,000 species, Cole said. Prior to that, he worked at the lab from 2018 to 2020 as a participant in a research program at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
Cole said he’s received an outpouring of support, and people have shared potential job openings. He would like to continue working in research, and he’s open to all options, including returning to work at the EPA.
Wisconsin biologist is among those fired by EPA after signing dissent letter was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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