Bill Clinton: “This letter, which does give us the basis for further efforts to try to get to the bottom of these issues concerning…”

“This letter, which does give us the basis for further efforts to try to get to the bottom of these issues concerning indoor air, is a very welcome step forward. Again, although it is not enough, it is not what the inspector general had in mind, it does give us that venue, that process, that opportunity to keep working together to get these answers. The reason this is so important goes far beyond my constituents in lower Manhattan. It goes to the heart and soul of what we can expect from our Government, how reliable the information is, and whether we are prepared to look at new problems caused by unforeseen, unprecedented events such as what occurred on 9/11. That is not the only area where we need to be focused on cleaning up indoor air and being conscious of continuing contamination. This morning I was in Endicott, NY, outside of Binghamton, where there was for many years a very large IBM plant, a very successful plant. In 1979, there was a spill, a toxic spill, 4,100 gallons, at least, that went into the aquifer and then went into the ground water. Now what we are finding is that this plume of toxic material in the water underneath this town, 350 acres through which it has spread--that the fumes from this plume are now seeping up through the ground into the residences of the people in Endicott, NY. So this indoor air issue is not just about post-9/11 and New York City.”