Week 6 at the EPA: Good Ol’ Uncle Sam

Ok, so I don’t actually have an Uncle Sam, I just work for him. But I do have an Uncle Chip (see below), and he loves American pastimes like cornhole, cookouts, and Thanksgiving turkey, so I figure he fits the bill.

Uncle Chip making Thanksgiving dinner

This short holiday week had me reflecting on the idea of Uncle Sam and what it means to work for the federal government. As MPA students, we are familiar with the negative connotation that sometimes comes with working as a government official (at any level). America was built on a foundation of freedom and democracy, so we instinctively fear the idea of “Big Government.” This makes it a little challenging to be an employee of said government, especially within an Agency that wields regulatory authority. Americans generally don’t like being told what to do, and their trust in government is fragile, which makes it all the more critical that the EPA maintain the best relationship possible with citizens and stakeholders.

In a meeting this week, the director of my division spoke of “Good Government.” I felt very happy in that moment because (1) it wasn’t an acronym I had to look up, and (2) it reaffirmed my confidence in this Agency and the federal employees that work here. The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, and it does so while valuing transparency, accountability, and responsibility. The MPA program has taught me the importance of good government, and here it was in that meeting staring me straight in the face.

My team works regularly with the Regional EPA offices, states, tribes, and local communities to ensure that we are clearly communicating expectations and supporting their efforts to meet the NAAQS. We listen to their grievances, answer their questions, and establish standards to provide Americans with perhaps the most basic public good – a healthy environment. And while there is no precise definition of what good government should be or what it looks like, this seems, at least to me, to be pretty close.

I spent my Fourth on a boat in the middle of the Tennessee River, soy hot dog in hand, excited to be working for Uncle Sam and supporting a government that is good.

Sydney