Kyla Bennett: From Whistleblower to WhistleBlower Defender

In the 1990s, while working in the EPA New England Regional Office in Boston, Kyla reached out to PEER to address a plan to illegally build a port on the largest undeveloped island on the Eastern Seaboard –Sear’s Island in Maine. When her Regional Administrator tried to transfer the Sears Island case from her, PEER filed a whistleblower complaint which the agency immediately settled by restoring her.

Kyla also enlisted PEER's help in addressing repeated interference by the Regional Administrator to improperly reduce penalties in pollution cases.

In 2001, Kyla came to work for PEER as our New England Director and in those ensuing years has helped scores of state, federal, and local employees while helping protect the region’s environment. Kyla's efforts have helped stop plans to destroy Massachusetts’ biggest freshwater wetland, to expose fraud in auto emission testing, and to prevent fatal ship collisions with highly endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Support PEER's work defending courageous eco-champions like Kyla. 

News releases

EAST COAST'S LARGEST UNDEVELOPED ISLAND SLATED FOR CARGO PORT