EPA scientists and lawyers, citing violations in scientific integrity, halt dealings with agency boss

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« What does gas have to do with the price of bean? | Main | Congressional committee wants to subpoena company boss to tell what led to largest meat recall in history »

EPA scientists and lawyers, citing violations in scientific integrity, halt dealings with agency boss

It was an exciting time for EPA scientists in May 2005 when Stephen Johnson was sworn in as the 11th administrator of the beleaguered agency. He was the first scientist to hold the top position and it was hoped by many that his 27 years of working the trenches would be a signal to the Bush administration that the agency would no longer be hampered by political kowtowing to industry and politicians who put favors before public health and the environment.

The agency has had the best and the worst of leaders. William Ruckelshaus was the EPA's first boss and set a tone for integrity, influence and protecting the environment rarely matched by his successors. There was Anne Gorsuch, who resigned under fire in 1983 during a scandal over mismanagement of programs to clean toxic dumps. She also gutted clean water rules. Christine Todd Whitman had many believing early on that she would support the scientists and investigators against political pressure. But in the end, she blindly followed White House orders after 9/11 to get Wall Street opened as quickly as possible. She told New Yorkers that the dust they were breathing from the attacks was harmless, which it obviously wasn't.

It didn't take long to see signs that Johnson forgot those scientists he left behind. The administrator stood silent when agency scientists and ethicists from coast-to-coast denounced the sometimes inhuman testing of pesticides on children.

In a stinging rebuke, unions representing the vast majority of EPA scientists, lawyers and other specialists Monday vowed to cut off future discussions with Johnson.

According to a letter released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Johnson, already in the hot seat for overruling staff advice that he was legally required to grant California's requested waiver to regulate greenhouse gases, faces a litany of charges that he has also been duplicitous on an array of other scientific integrity, information suppression and workplace relations issues, said PEER.

Posted by at March 3, 2008 8:53 a.m.
Categories: Environmental health issues, Government & corporate wrong-doing, Risks to children

Comments

#104273

Posted by AvalancheChief at 3/3/08 3:38 p.m.

Less than a year of this - Can't say Amerika voted for Bush in 2000, but they sure did in 2004 - hope you're enjoying it!

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#104302

Posted by Alanuno at 3/3/08 4:41 p.m.

Let's face it, Americans are bathed and bathing themselves in man made chemicals everyday. While the chemical analysts who are honest try ever so hard to warn the public and those in power Mom wants to get the mold off the tile in the bathroom.

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#104312

Posted by JonyRR at 3/3/08 5:16 p.m.

yeahyeahyeahyeah...blahblahblah.
EPA scientists are as prejudiced and politically skewed as anyone else. The vast majority of them ate left-leaning and suckers for any ecowhacko shill that comes along. There is very little scientific integrity there; if you don't agree with Saint Al of Gorfdom you are excommunicated from the druid worship of anything 'environmental', regardless of how loony.Most of them would vote for Mao tomorrow if they could.

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#104328

Posted by Will in Seattle at 3/3/08 6:00 p.m.

Figures an America-hating neocon EPA chair might have some problems when the patriotic EPA scientists can't stomach his tripe.

America demands action, not giveaways to Red Bushie comrades.

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#104398

Posted by Joel Kawahara at 3/3/08 9:50 p.m.

Interesting comment from JonyRR. I am glad he personally knows every EPA employee and their political views so he can present us with a statisticaly valid picture of the agency workers. "There is very little scientific integrity there..." Ya got that right buddy, it all starts at the top.

So answer me this JonyRR, who are you going to for a doctor? Some one trained in a US medical school? All those poisons, er, I mean medications you been taking for your erectile disfunction been workin? And your heart medications? and Gloucoma treatment?

The methodology used to create and prove the efficacy of those meds is the same science that the EPA scientist use to deterimine toxicity of chemicals in the environment. The doctors and budding EPA chemist went to the same chemistry classes for the first four years of college. They are trained by the same school of thought; western reductionist theory. You can not distrust EPA chemists and simultaneously trust your doctor. Your doctor comes to conclusions about your medications the same way a toxicologist comes to conclusions for EPA reports.

So if I was you, I would not trust the doctor at all. Those ED meds are going to make the little man between your legs fall off because the liberal doctor can not stand to see you humiliate the woman you are lovin'. And I would stop taking your heart medications because they are going to be psyco-active and make you think liberal thoughts if you keep taking them. Same for your Chemo for lung cancer - just a scam to rip you off. You don't have cancer, that is a liberal smear campaign aginst Big Tobbcco. Start smoking again and tell the oncologist to take a hike.

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#104536

Posted by unregistered user at 3/4/08 10:04 a.m.

We have to support the EPA scientists who want a ban on fluoridation and to hold Congressional hearings about why public officials such as Stephen Johnson continue to ignore the scientific evidence that shows that adding fluoride chemicals into the drinking water to reduce tooth decay is harmful and ineffective

http://www.FluorideAction.Net

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