John Dingell: “I yield to no man in my criticism of EPA. I have investigated and shown some extraordinary evidence of incompetence, of…”

“I yield to no man in my criticism of EPA. I have investigated and shown some extraordinary evidence of incompetence, of inability to manage contracts, of inability to handle the business of the agency, of loss of control of the agency to the contractors, and of bad science and bad information management. Interestingly enough, requirements that EPA be structured to abate the only criticisms that have been found by legitimate congressional investigations are in the bill. I have heard a lot of complaints from my colleagues about the fact that this doesn't lay down substantive requirements. The comment is that it needs a risk assessment provision or that it needs a cost-benefit requirement provision. Well, perhaps EPA needs something of that kind. But this is not a substantive bill, and I don't believe this House wants to get a rule out of the Committee on Rules which would require this House to then consider all manner of substantive amendments to things like the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, the legislation that relates to leaking underground storage tanks and Superfund.”