The Senate holds a hearing today in its Environment Committee to review the process that has changed the way the EPA is able to screen chemicals for cancer and other health risks. The undermining of the EPA’s ability to determine health issues by the Bush administration has increased the steps required before the EPA can stop the use of certain chemicals by years in some cases. They have decreased the ability to determine health dangers by letting non scientists have a bigger – sometimes secret – role in a chemicals determination. They have doubled the number of steps required and have risk assessments way behind, sometimes by years. Extensive involvement by the White House and EPA managers has eroded the independence of the EPA scientists who determine the health risks posed by chemicals. Multiple government agencies -who could be affected by the findings – are now allowed to participate at every step of the investigation into the chemicals they use. If the EPA were to find against them or their contractors they would face serious restrictions and cleanup requirements. “By law the EPA must protect our families from dangerous chemicals,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., the Senate committee’s chairman. “Instead, they’re protecting the chemical companies.” Hopefully she and the other Senators can get to the bottom of this and get the EPA back on track and not being run by people with a vested interest in the outcomes of investigations.
“If I say I am a wise man, It surely means that I don’t know.”
The Bush Administration has caused so much havoc with so many issues with our United States. Between chemicals and air pollution affecting global warming, the EPA’s hands are tied for years to come. Dangerous chemicals that cause cancer are still being allowed to to used due to the slow process of testing. Bush administration has allowed “too many fingers in the pie”.
Actually, what is going on in the EPA has nothing to do with the Bush administration. The EPA was granted a new charter and changed they way they operate back in 1994 under the Clinton administration through the U.S. Office of Management and Budget which was approved by Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Teddy Kennedy, and all of the other Dems that are now so outspoken about it. Carol Browner was a Clinton appointee and she was given full reign to do what she wanted with the EPA. The problems we have now are a direct result of her policies. I’m currently working on my Ph.D. in Epidemiology and I just conducted a study regarding mercury in our water and food supplies. While it is naturally occurring, the reason why the northern state water supplies are so polluted is because of Browner’s lax policies regarding power plant emissions. You might want to check the history books on this one before you condemned the current administration for another set of bad policies left over from the previous do nothing administration. If Boxer and her fellow comrades want to get to the bottom of this issue..they need look no further than their mirrors.
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