"EPA: Buyout Stories: 'We Are Kind Of Being Hollowed Out'"

"Barbara Aldridge knew it was time to leave U.S. EPA.

Now 64, she had worked at the agency for 26 years, restoring wetlands along the Gulf Coast and policing Superfund compliance. But Aldridge's husband died last year, and then the election ushered in the Trump administration — and a reckoning for EPA.

'The change in direction at the agency has been demoralizing,' Aldridge said. 'The political climate was turning in a very bad direction.'

So Aldridge decided to tune out 'distressing' news and focus on her future. She joined hundreds of EPA employees who accepted buyout packages this year. Her last day was Aug. 31."

Kevin Bogardus and Hannah Northey report for Greenwire November 22, 2017.