In its latest move to benefit corporate bottom lines, the Bush Administration is proposing gutting the nation's enviornmental right-to-know law.
The rule would mean thousands of companies nationwide would no longer have to provide the public with details of toxic chemicals they release into the environment. Under existing rules, facilities that release 500 or more pounds of toxic substances each year must reveal how much of each chemical is emitted into the air, discharged into waterways and taken to landfills or other disposal sites. Under the Environmental Protection Agency proposal, that threshold would be raised to 5,000 pounds.
Under the administraton's plan, 922 communities would lose all information from the national Toxics Release Inventory detailing emissions. The EPA will make a final decision on the proposal next year, after a public comment period that ends Jan. 13.
Savings to corporate America: $650 million.
Is it worth it? Only to corporate America.
"In individual neighborhoods, the difference between 500 pounds and 5,000 pounds is significant," Idell Hansen, Washington state's director of hazardous waste and toxics reduction, told the Los Angeles Times.
"If the proposed changes are adopted, EPA will be issuing a permit to poison," added Jan Pendlebury, director of the New Hampshire chapter of the National Environmental Trust, in an interview with the Concord (N.H.) Monitor.
Eighty-one local and national environmental groups appealed to Congress in a letter to urge the EPA to leave the inventory unchanged.
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Kim Nelson, an assistant administrator at the EPA, said the companies that would benefit from the proposal are "tiny, tiny businesses, mom-and-pop shops operating on Main Street, that, in an aggregate, amount to less than 1 percent of the emissions in this country."
But like so many things the Bush Administration says about the enviornment, Nelson's words are empty conservative spin.
Article comments
1 - RedTard
I'm glad this passed. Environmentalists wackos have too much power in this country as it stands. Saving $650 million in wasted reports will make our economy more efficient, which means more goods, services and jobs for everyone. Great job Bush!
A note about environmentalists: If you think the recent Kelo decision is bad for letting the government take your home with compensation, just wait till an environmentalist wacko finds an rare, endangered snail on your property. Your rights will be taken away with zero compensation!! You will never be able to use the property you paid for and if you try and fight them they will protest, assault contractors, and destroy your personal property with the entire looney left cheering them on.
2 - JELIEL
Holy crap! And this from "the environmental president"
"[W]e will require all power plants to meet clean air standards in order to reduce emissions...of carbon dioxide within a reasonable time." (George W. Bush during campaign, Philadelphia Inquirer, February 14, 2001)
"With the help of Congress, environmental groups and industry, we will require all power plants to meet clean air standards in order to reduce emissions of...carbon dioxide within a reasonable period of time." (Governor Bush during campaign, September 29, 2000)
"We're taking important action to conserve North America's wetlands, which will help keep our water clean and help provide habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife. Through this legislation, the federal government will continue its partnership with landowners, conservation groups, and states to save and improve millions of acres of wetlands." (Federal Document Clearing House Political Transcripts, December 2, 2002)
"I believe we ought to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund to - with half the money going to states, so states can make the right decisions for environmental quality." (Federal Document Clearing House Political Transcripts, October 11, 2000)
Yeah yeah, promises, promises.
3 - david r. mark
RedTard, this hasn't passed, as explained in the article.
Maybe you've ingested too many undocumented chemicals?
4 - RedTard
A chance to cut 650Mil in bogus paperwork and red tape from the federal government should be embraced. Thanks for the heads up. I'll try and remember to see if this goes anywhere and how my congressmen votes.
I love to see the government pared down any time I can. Unfortunately, that rarely happens regardless of who controls the congress or white house.