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Bush Directive is an End-Run Around Public Environmental Regulation and Public Scrutiny. |
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Monday, August 2, 2004 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green candidates urged Congress and the public to reject a plan by President Bush that would exclude the public from review of decisions that affect public health and the environment. The plan would also exempt many government agencies, including the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), from environmental regulations, citing the need for national security. "The plan would allow these agencies to compromise public safety, health, and the environment, with no public scrutiny," said Marakay Rogers, Green candidate for Attorney General of Pennsylvania and co-chair o Green Party of York County. "For instance, it would allow the secret use and storage of dangerous chemicals near residential neighborhoods, if the agency called it necessary for national security. The public would be barred both from knowing about the danger and challenging the security claim." According to an alert from Bush GreenWatch, the directive would allow activities with dubious connection to national security, such as construction of roads through national forests. "The obvious aim of Bush's directive for the National Environmental Policy Act is an end run around environmental regulations," said Efia Nwangaza, South Carolina Green candidate for the U.S. Senate and opponent of the Savannah River Power Plant and nuclear storage dump. "This plan to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act is Bush policy at its worst: exploitation of 9/11 fears, lack of accountability, and a reckless disregard of environmental protection and public health." Greens note that the comment period ends on August
16, and are encouraging citizens to send their protests against Mr.
Bush's directive to ADMIN-S&E@hq.dhs.gov.
The Green Party of the United States Bush GreenWatch
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