MARY LOU SOSCIA (SHE/HER)
Columbia River advocate, 38-year employee of the Environmental Protection Agency
Portland, Oregon
When I came to work at the EPA, it was still a very new agency, and we weren’t really paying much attention to tribes or tribal governments. I was trying to help recognize tribal governments in our work. My first job in the Pacific Northwest was working with the Warm Springs, Umatilla, Yakama and Nez Perce tribes. I worked with farmers, state and tribal governments, industries and citizens who cared about the Columbia River; trying to say: “Here’s what you need and here’s what you want, and here’s what you need and here’s what you want, and gosh almighty, some of us want the same thing. So let’s figure out how we work together.” We built a diverse collaboration for the whole basin. My vision was to build a healthy ecosystem for all who live in it. But I’m worried about the future. With all the severe cuts to federal agencies, lots of really good people have left the EPA. I am concerned that those who replace me won’t have the technical knowledge, the scientific basis and the collaboration skills to work with people to solve these really, really complicated problems.
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This article appeared in the August 2025 print edition of the magazine with the headline “IAMTHEWEST.”
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