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Ask the White House to Come
Clean About 9/11
An EPA report released in August indicates that the Bush administration intentionally
misled the public about the safety of lower Manhattan following the attacks
of September 11, 2001. A draft EPA press release sent to the White House three
days
after the attacks stated: "The concern raised by these samples [of dust
containing asbestos] would be for the workers at the cleanup site and for those
workers who might be returning to their offices on or near Water Street on Monday,
September 17, 2001." Yet the Bush White House’s edited version, released
to the public and media on September 16, was altered to read: "Our tests
show that it is safe for New Yorkers to go back to work in New York’s
financial district."
The EPA inspector general’s August report revealed how press releases drafted
by EPA about the air quality at Ground Zero were edited by the Bush White House’s
Council on Environmental Quality to omit warnings about potentially hazardous
toxins. The report recommends that any remaining World Trade Center dust in
residences and workplaces be cleaned up, and urges the Bush administration
to permit the
EPA to honestly and adequately monitor environmental problems and enforce environmental
protections without political influence from the White House.
[TAKE ACTION]
Please write or call President Bush. Tell him that Americans need
to know that the Bush administration will tell them the truth and will
make their health and safety a priority. Urge the president to:
• Honor the request for federal EPA testing, and clean up remaining
WTC dust in residences and workplaces, north of Canal Street in Manhattan
and across the East River in Brooklyn. The inspector general’s
report advocated that the EPA take this action.
• Ensure that precautionary measures are taken to prevent future
exposure.
Specifically, the White House should protect the workers and the community
during WTC site reconstruction.
• Restore the public trust in federal health warnings by complying
with the inspector general’s recommendation that EPA establish
a strong federal policy to ensure that Americans receive accurate, complete
information on health risks in future emergencies and that federal agencies’ roles
and duties are clearly defined. |
Contact information
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, US 20500
president@whitehouse.gov
Phone: (202) 456-1414
Fax: (202) 456-2461
For more information:
sierraclub.org/pressroom/releases/pr2003-10-01a.asp
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