EPA pulls its officers off homeland security

[salin]

EPA pulls its officers off homeland security

By Chris Bowman -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Tuesday, December 16, 2003
In a major policy reversal, the Bush administration announced Monday that it will stop routinely diverting federal environmental cops from pollution investigations to assist in homeland security.

J.P. Suarez, a Bush appointee who heads enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency, also said the nation's elite pollution investigators no longer will be used regularly as bodyguards for the EPA administrator on trips around the nation and abroad, a practice he staunchly defended earlier this year.

The moves followed a series of stories in The Bee earlier this year that said the EPA was short-changing criminal pollution work by pulling agents for anti-terrorism work and guarding the administrator.

---------snip

The Bee reported in April that the EPA had been tapping its pollution cops, paid $84,000 to $100,000 a year, to serve as bodyguards, chauffeurs and errand runners for the agency's administrator, then Christie Whitman.

The diversions of the agents paralleled a significant drop in the number of cases the agency referred to the Justice Department for prosecution, the newspaper's investigation found.

----------snip

In reports to Congress and the press, the EPA inflated the number of criminal investigations initiated, overreported the number of cases referred to federal prosecutors, and took excessive credit for the length of prison terms served for environmental crimes.

----------snip

Agents were instructed to call Whitman "governor" and map out routes in advance that had Starbucks coffee shops or Barnes & Noble bookstores, her preferred pit stops. "Make the car warm or cool before Governor Whitman gets in and keep it that way," the memo said.

much, much more: http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/7963051p-8900107c.html

[pmbryant]

1. On the surface, this sounds like great news

Of course, I am sure Bush et al will find some other way to short-change criminal pollution cases.

Thanks for posting this article, salin.

--Peter

[salin]

3. I found the descriptions of how trained and highly paid investigators

were assigned under Whitman, to be particularly amusing - but sadly not surprising. We don't want to actually be investigating issues that might have a direct impact on public health and the environment... more important to warm up "Governor" Whitman's car.

[pmbryant]

4. And to make sure she gets her Starbucks fix

:eyes:

Whitman will not be missed by the EPA staff, I am sure.

--Peter

[salin]

5. Mostly... but those who got to escourt her to the Winter Olympics

might have at least enjoyed a day or two of their stint for her.

[xxqqqzme]

2. sounds about right!

all the administrative 'warlords' running their turf. I want to puke.