‘Dread and Excitement’ as EPA Employees Head Back to Work (2)

Cinnamon rolls and cameras greeted EPA employees Jan. 28 as they returned to work on a chilly morning after a 35-day government shutdown.

Many smiled with gratitude, but very few stopped, fully aware of the workload that has accumulated after five weeks away from their desks.

“It’s a mix of dread and excitement,” Julie, who works in the EPA’s Office of Policy, told Bloomberg Environment about returning to work. The Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t allow most staff to speak to the media, and most didn’t want to provide their full names for concern that it would affect ...