Administration Changes, EPA Remains the Same
Paul Peters | Aug 31, 2009 | Comments 3
The EPA may be under new leadership, but the ideals remain the same.
It’s perhaps easy to blame the problems at the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal agencies charged with protecting the environment and public health, on the ideals of past presidential administrations.
Take the problems we mentioned last week, for instance. The EPA’s study of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” a practice used by drilling companies to bring natural gas to the surface, which involved no field testing or water testing. The EPA, in fact, didn’t even know what chemicals industry used in fracking, so if it had tested, it wouldn’t even know what to look for. This despite 15 years of complaints by Wyoming residents about water problems.
With the Bush administration’s well-established ties to the energy industry, it’s only natural to look at what happened in Wyoming, and the problems in the EPA, as a product of a bygone era in U.S. politics. But, as if to underscore how wrong that view is, on August 27 the U.S. EPA released an audit of New Jersey’s state EPA. Among the audit’s findings:
None of the Site Remediation Program’s bureaus interviewed do any project
assessment and/or process improvement beyond data validation, (i.e. no field audits, no
split samples, no internal assessments, etc). The EPA assessment team was told that
Responsible Party contractors and/or NJDEP contractors are “certified professionals and
taken at their word.”
So, New Jersey EPA’s Site Remediation Program, the body in charge of contaminated sites, was skipping field audits and other obvious methods for determining whether sites were cleaned. This is pretty much exactly what happened in Wyoming. At the same time, they were taking the people responsible for contamination (the “Responsible Parties”) at their word as to whether or not sites were clean. Worse, according to the report, the U.S. EPA had first warned New Jersey about these problems in 2006, yet nothing was done. All of this occurred under Lisa Jackson, former head of the New Jersey EPA, and President Obama’s pick to head the entire U.S. EPA.
So what does this mean to people in Wyoming, where their water may have been poisoned by fracking, or places like Libby, Montana; Waukegan, Illinois; or El Dorado, California that have been air poisoned by tremolite asbestos? If nothing else, it means that a change in administration isn’t the beginning or end of problems in the EPA. If we really want this to be an agency that fights for public health, the public is going to have to be the watch dog.
Paul Peters
PrintFiled Under: Breaking News Blog
Greeting Paul. I do have to agree that it is We the People who can and must change, to hold Govt accountable to the People.First we have to gut the EPA (Wardell/Johnson/Bush gone)Once the dirt is removed then we can clean house.I am hoping Obama and DOJ being new blood will over see what was done.But like you said, it doesn’t seen to have changed much, in fact, the continued selling of Libby Mt as safe, even after a Health Emergency declared did not stop the deadly exposure nor the lies that have continued since 1999 at a cost of over 300 human beings who are now sentenced to death…from being lied to.When Libby Mt is shut down and no more human victims, then I will believe this Govt is for the People but right now and for the last 40 years,EPA and this Govt continues to knowingly kill more people.Libby Health Emergency is only millions more to be made for beating this dead horse to death.It takes people like you and I to educate and warn and inform to protect We the People from something that kills us.I tell all who will listen to stay away from Libby mt.Libby is not safe to anything that breaths.I am doing this Govt.’s work by telling the truth.All people have the right and need to know the truth if it kills you and your entire family…as this has happened to me and my family.How in Gods name is this allowed to be repeated when so so many are sick and dying.This is crazy and criminal.Someday….Take care my friends and thank you for saving innocent people by telling the truth….ps. I fired my lawyer.I had enough lies and BS.
Also Paul, I am in search of a Civil Attorney who wants to make a million or two representing me.I am demanding $10 Million dollars, 1 Million for each year of hell(this also takes care of my family when I am gone) and I truly feel no problem with a Jury verdict.I already have a lawyer for WR disGrace bankruptcy but a Civil suit is needed.Let me know.
Greetings Paul. Hope this finds you doing well…I still been active in this frickin nitemare. Thought I would up date you. State has settled with us for killing us. WE with Meso and Wrongful death get $60 thousand and the rest of us with ARD get $20 thousand,and out of that comes lawyer fees and then we have to pay back a % of Medicare and Medicaid. And then the spouses get something, unknown how much but this too comes from our settlement.Can you frickin believe this Paul. 10 years of Hell and this is what it’s worth.Of course I am persueing the Libby Fix for fair and just compensation for me and my family and Libby.The Libby Fix Paul is fair and wrote by me in 2005. Sen Baucus took this to the Senate for vote and it passed. Then went to Congree for vote and missed it by one vote.(Stevens of Alaska) Had that passed then, we all would of been taken care of. But 20 and 60 thousand if far from 500 and 1 million, which the State already agreed on for us.I do not have a lawyer so this is why I can and want and need to pursue this.Plus Paul, people are being told they did not die from asbestos by Dr Whitehouse and there wrongful death lawsuits are being thrown out…I have been in touch with DC to seek a criminal/Congressional Investigation into Whitehouse and what the hell is going on.Whitehouse has made the deadly mistake of saying my uncle Bill did not die from asbestos, he is one of those who have just been told( been dead for 4 years) his wrongful death lawsuit is thrown out.God I wish I had someone to help us and stop these bastards. As if we haven’t been through enough hell.I think they are waiting for someone to go crazy.I wish I could leave this nitemare we live and die with.But I can’t when they now say we have no asbestos. we have no recourse and no justice and no one seems to care.I do know you know what I am talking about…my uncle will have closure and his children will have closure one way or the other. My Father was mi diagnose by Whitehouse as he die from Meso. My Brother and I have just been told we have no asbestosis, so this is 4 Crills who are being screwed after the fact and all of us have had enough.10 plus years of this hell and we come to this…many of us Paul are going through this, not just the Crills.Why are we being treated like this? We never did anything to any of these bastards and we are still going throu hell…anyway my friend, I miss you and take care. I shall do the same….