Maurice Hinchey: “from clean air and water to wetlands and global warming, this is an administration that is determined to ignore the most…”

“from clean air and water to wetlands and global warming, this is an administration that is determined to ignore the most pressing environmental problems, dismiss good science that draws attention to these problems and undermine our most effective environmental laws that address those problems. It is one thing for the Bush administration to break its promises on environmental issues such as regulating carbon dioxide, but every administration has a responsibility to provide Congress and the American people with sound science that is untainted by politics. Unfortunately, it is becoming all too common for the Bush administration to compromise the independence and credibility of our government agencies by shelving and suppressing sound science if it does not fit their political agenda. Most recently, this trend is evident in EPA's actions surrounding the administration's 'Clear Skies' proposal which would weaken the Clean Air Act. Earlier this month the EPA intentionally hid data showing that a competing Senate clean air bill would provide far greater long-term health benefits at only a slightly higher cost. While EPA disclosed the cost associated with the Senate bill, it failed to disclose that the proposal would result in 17,800 fewer premature deaths annually than the administration's proposal.”