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EPA Needs to Clean Up Its Act

by N.Y. Dem. Rep. Jerrold Nadler - 08/26/06 5:55 AM ET

This week marks the third anniversary of a report that laid bare one of the most disastrous failures of government I have seen in my 30 years as a legislator. In 2003, the EPA Inspector General released a report that confirmed what I had been saying from the beginning of the recovery process — the EPA had failed abjectly and miserably to fulfill its mandate in the aftermath of September 11th.

The 2003 Inspector General’s Report detailed misleading and falsely assuring statements make by EPA officials about air quality post 9/11, and specifically cited White House interference as a major factor in those statements. It also found that the Agency’s 2002 so-called “Indoor Air Residential Cleanup Program” was deeply flawed in design, too limited in scope, utilized inadequate testing and cleanup methods, and therefore did not meet “the minimum criteria for protecting human health the EPA established. . . .” Since the publication of this damning internal report, there has been plenty of talk by the EPA, but to this day, a complete failure to act in the manner called for by the IG.

Three years later, I, along with my colleagues from the New York Congressional
Delegation in the House and Senate are calling on the EPA to finally comply
with the findings of the Inspector General’s Report issued on August 21, 2003.
This week marks the third anniversary of a report that laid bare one of the most disastrous failures of government I have seen in my 30 years as a legislator. In 2003, the EPA Inspector General released a report that confirmed what I had been saying from the beginning of the recovery process — the EPA had failed abjectly and miserably to fulfill its mandate in the aftermath of September 11th.

In a letter we sent to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, we demand that
EPA “make a full and complete disclosure to the public about the health risks
associated with World Trade Center contamination, and institute a proper testing
and clean-up program for all buildings contaminated by the terrorist attacks.