EPA Halted Publication of Research About Chemical Pollutants After White House Warned of PR "Nightma
EPA Halted Publication of Research About Chemical Pollutants After White House Warned of PR “Nightmare”
Newly released emails have shown that the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House halted the publication of new research on chemical pollutants after one White House official warned of the “potential public relations nightmare” publishing the research could bring.
According to a report by Politico, the Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry had concluded that pollutants produced by large chemical plants and military bases pose a danger to human health at levels lower than previously thought. That finding could lead to far higher costs for companies and for the Defense Department if it translated into higher standards for cleaning up water sources to prevent contamination. But it has been more than three months since the study was finished, and the HHS confirmed that there is no plan to publish its results.
The EPA defended the inaction as a matter of taking the time to coordinate responses to “local, state, and Congressional constituents and partners.”
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Emails obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by the Union of Concerned Scientists revealed that a White House aide warned of the damage the study’s results could have on the EPA and on the Defense Department. “The public, media, and Congressional reaction to these numbers is going to be huge,” the aide wrote. The political appointee who oversees environmental issues at the Office of Management and Budget then forwarded that email to the EPA’s top financial officer.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/05/epa-and-white-house-block-report-on-chemical-pollutants.html
