Friday, April 4, 2008

EPA Not Functioning According to Plan. Really?

The Washington Post reports that the chemical industry may be playing an inappropriate role in EPA decisions:
A congressional committee is investigating ties between the chemical industry and expert review panels hired by the Environmental Protection Agency to help it determine safe levels for a variety of chemical compounds.

Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the oversight and investigations subcommittee, have demanded documents from the EPA and the American Chemistry Council to probe the roles of nine scientists who are serving on EPA panels or have done so in the past.

The lawmakers sent a letter to the chemical industry Wednesday, expanding a probe that began earlier this month.

"Americans count on sound science to ensure that consumer products are safe," Dingell said through a spokesman yesterday. "If industry has undue influence over this science, then the public's health is endangered."

Perhaps you haven't noticed, but there are a few other government agencies whose functions have been sabotaged over the last 8 years or so. This would include the EPA, FDA, FCC, FEMA, and of course the DOJ. As Darth Cheney would say, "So?". So what are you going to do about it? Do you still care?

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