LAT: Whitman Denies Knowing Mercury Study Was Stalled

[DeepModem Mom]

THE NATION
Whitman Denies Knowing Mercury Study Was Stalled
Democrats say, as EPA chief, she knew analysis needed to pursue lower industrial emissions had been shelved, and promised to deliver it.

By Alan C. Miller and Tom Hamburger, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON — On her final day as Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Christie Whitman assured members of Congress that the EPA would do required economic and technical studies before proposing a rule to reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

Despite Whitman's assurance, EPA career staffers say this analysis was put off on orders from agency political appointees — and the proposal was written in part by utility interests who strongly supported it.

Whitman said in interviews this week that, if she had known the studies of the mercury proposal were not being done, she would have intervened.

But according to a June 27, 2003, response from Whitman made public Thursday by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), she had been alerted to such concerns and promised four Democratic lawmakers that all necessary analyses would be completed by Dec. 15, 2003.

(According to the article, "There is growing evidence that mercury which has made its way into the aquatic food chain is a serious health threat, especially to children.")


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mercury19mar19,1,6516002.story?coll=la-home-nation

[joeybee12]

1. Yeah, and some people said she was an "acceptable" Repuke

They're all scum.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

2. whitman is a whore...my friend is an environmental lawyer in NJ...

and knows christie well....right now there is an environmental crisis hitting the US called "E-waste" and NO ONE is even addressing it...each PC monitor and TV set has 9 lbs of lead dust in it along with over 100 other toxins(mercury, cadnium, chromium...) in them and they are being dumped into landfills polluting and killing us daily!


WTCs had 50,000 PC monitors in them (thats NOT counting the 300 mainframes and thousands of TVs and printers and scanners)...do the math just on the monitors and lead dust alone 50,000x9=450,000 lbs of lead dust in the NYC air ...NYers DON'T BREATHE! no matter what they are teling you ...it will kill you!

315 MILLION TVs and PCs will be desposed of in landfills in 2004 alone..........whitman is scum!

[The Zanti Regent]

3. Now, now, Poor Prissy Todd Clueless was in over her head.

She just had to let the Free Market o'Pollution run wild!

[ramapo]

4. That's a lame excuse

She should've known.

Whitman was nothing but an apologist. She failed to protect the people of NYC following the WTC collapse. This resulted in widespread contamination from asbestos, lead, PCBs, and benzene.

Mercury contamination from coal burning is complete throughout the eastern US. The technology exists to reduce coal emissions by at least 90%. The government won't require that industry spend the money nor will it put the funding up to get it down.

Billions for Iraq but it's OK to ignore serious health hazards here at home.

Whitman was a gutless wonder. She always called herself an environmentalist here in NJ. She is a fraud.

[DiverDave]

5. KIDS DON'T VOTE!!

"There is growing evidence that mercury which has made its way into the aquatic food chain is a serious health threat, especially to children."
And they dont give money...
Our world is going to hell, because the bean counters just look at this years bottom line.

[mbperrin]

7. I believe you've got it!

And if they never grow up, they never will!

[htuttle]

6. Yet another Bush admin official hiding behind their incompetence...

They always claim they are incompetent when it comes time to hold someone accountable.

"I was in charge, but had no clue what was going on. I'm just here to collect a paycheck and smile at the cameras...", they all say.

[struggle4progress]

8. kick

:kick: