Likely EPA Decision Puts Millions Of Americans At Risk
The Bush administration's apparent decision to allow perchlorate—the main ingredient in rocket fuel—go unregulated in drinking water leaves millions of Americans at risk.
The Washington Post, reporting on September 22, quoted EPA documents that said the agency's "preliminary regulatory determination" -- which was extensively edited by White House officials -- marks the final step in a six-year-old battle between career EPA scientists who advocate regulating the chemical and White House and Pentagon officials who oppose it. The document estimates that up to 16.6 million Americans are exposed to perchlorate at a level many scientists consider unsafe; independent researchers, using federal and state data, put the number at 20 million to 40 million.
"The Bush administration should not let this decision go forward," Paul Schwartz, Clean Water Action National Policy Coordinator. "This is a shocking concession to industry pressure that puts millions of pregnant women, children and others at risk."
For eight years the Bush administration resisted action on global warming, claiming that emissions of heat trapping gases were not pollution. But the administration was wrong, and now you can make sure we take action to curb global warming pollution.
Nobody wants rocket fuel in their drinking water. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had decided not to regulate perchlorate - an ingredient in rocket fuel. Clean Water Action members can help turn this decision around.