State scientist rebuts McCrory administration’s criticism on coal ash testimony
A state scientist resigned in protest Wednesday after the McCrory administration publicly accused a member of her staff of lying and unprofessional conduct.
The staffer, toxicologist Kenneth Rudo, had testified that the administration sought to downplay the health risks to well owners who live near coal ash storage ponds.
Megan Davies, an epidemiologist and section chief in the state Division of Public Health, submitted a scathing letter of resignation in response to an open letter distributed to the news media on Tuesday by her boss, state health director Dr. Randall Williams, and Tom Reeder, an assistant secretary in the state Department of Environmental Quality.
“Upon reading the open editorial yesterday evening, I can only conclude that the Department’s leadership is fully aware that this document misinforms the public,” Davies wrote. “I cannot work for a Department and an Administration that deliberately misleads the public.”
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article94783292.html
