“Gorilla in the Closet” Exposes the Dysfunction of the EPA and Proposes a Bold New Future for Environmental Governance

Author Frederic (Eric) Eidsness, Jr. Offers a Firsthand Account of the EPA’s Failures and the Path Forward

CO, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In his groundbreaking book, Gorilla in the Closet, author Frederic (Eric) Eidsness, Jr. delivers a searing and deeply informed account of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over its 50 year history, political entanglements, utter lack of strategic focus, and the urgent need for reform. With decades of firsthand experience, Eidsness examines how the EPA has failed to operate in concert with state and local general purpose governments under our federalist system of government, instead running a top-down, politically driven bureaucracy that asks nothing of local governments that have land use and police powers the federal government lacks thus hindering effective environmental management.

As a former EPA Assistant Administrator for Water under President Ronald Reagan, Eidsness brings unparalleled insight into the agency’s inner workings, exposing its shift away from its original mission. Gorilla in the Closet argues that the EPA, long captured by the Environmental Lobby and the Democratic Party, has abandoned its oversight responsibilities. Instead of empowering states, which are responsible for renewing permits to millions of pollution dischargers into the land, air, water and marine environment and overseeing their compliance/enforcement, the EPA continues to impose one-size-fits-all policies from Washington, D.C., and with no accountability.

Eidsness presents a radical yet practical solution: abolish the EPA in its current form and replace it with a truly independent environmental commission. Under this model, EPA’s current autonomous and politically run ten regional office structure will be replaced by 50 offices co located with states thus improving communication, oversight and advocacy for state environmental policy with the 11 commissioners and five top managers who will manage the commission. Managers will be career professionals serving ten-year terms free from the political whims of each new administration. This reorganization should attend a 60% reduction in force. The actual legislative language to establish the commission is also contained in the book.

The book also introduces the National Environmental Federalism Initiative (NEFI)—a bottom-up approach that places local city and county governments at the forefront of climate change mitigation and pollution control, backed by state and federal resources.

One key example of this approach is the Carbon Audit Program, which aims to replace natural gas and oil-fired heating and cooling systems with heat pumps and other clean energy heating and air conditioning systems in homes, businesses, institutions and farms. This initiative, spearheaded at the local level, directly targets the 73% of total emissions originating from metropolitan areas—an area largely ignored by the EPA’s past policies.

Eidsness’ career spans decades of leadership in environmental policy and engineering. After serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy and combat veteran assigned to the Riverine Forces of the Republic of Vietnam (1967-1970) he joined the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration—later absorbed into the EPA—where he authored the agency’s first environmental impact statement. He left EPA in 1973 over the lack of structure and accountability. During his tenure under President Reagan, he led regulatory reforms aimed at making environmental policy more effective and practical. Following his departure from government, he worked in senior roles at leading engineering firms, advising corporations on resolving disputes with the EPA.

The inspiration for Gorilla in the Closet came when Eidsness was labeled a “Bad Person” by a professor during an advanced environmental policy course—an insult that ignited his desire to set the record straight and to give an insider’s view of the contentious intersection of policy, politics and science that most college professors have no direct experience with. Over 13 years of meticulous research and writing, he compiled a compelling case for rethinking America’s environmental governance. The book serves as an essential resource for students, policymakers, and anyone concerned about the future of environmental protection in the U.S. The e-book version is on sale at $9.95 and contains a robust search engine.

Gorilla in the Closet is available for purchase on Amazon and other online retailers. For more information, visit www.gorillainthecloset.com.

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