EPA, Bush Administration Stonewalling On Global Warming Report Outrages Sen. Boxer

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - With a mixture of disgust and outrage Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chair, explained Thursday her frustration over dealing with the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency under President Bush's control.

At issue is an EPA report that concludes that "global warming endangers the American people," and which the President has refused to release to the public, Boxer said in a statement posted on the committee's website.

Even U.S. Senators are not permitted to have copies of the document and can only examine it in groups, taking whatever notes they can make under the "watchful eyes of two White House lawyers," Boxer continued.

"It is more than outrageous that documents that pertain to the health and safety and very lives of our citizens are being hidden from the American people. I will continue the fight on their behalf to let the sunshine in," Boxer said.

Sen. Boxer Attempts To End EPA, Administration's Stonewalling On Global Warming Report Along with charging the Bush administration with obstruction, censorship, and cover up in keeping critical information away from the public, Boxer also faulted EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.

Saying that Johnson is a public official who should be accountable to the American people, Boxer said he had failed to comply with various requests from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Boxer said that EPA chief Johnson "has dodged our requests he appear to answer questions about:

- The Administration's decision on the air quality standard for Ozone;

- The Administration's failure to adequately protect children's health;

- The EPA's environmental record; and

- Changes to the EPA's program to assess the risks associated with toxic chemicals." EPA officials were forced by the U.S. Supreme Court to do the plan and it finished the proposal back in December. The Supreme Court had issued a ruling forcing the Bush administration to go on the record over whether carbon emissions should be regulated to protect public health. The EPA concluded that regulation was needed, but the White House ordered the agency to scrap its proposal, whistle blowers have said, according to media reports.

Democrats in Congress disgusted with all the backroom deals to avoid making the EPA report public tried to investigate, but were blocked by Republicans until this week when senators were given an opportunity to view the EPA plan, under supervision of White House lawyers.

However, the senators are still asking that they, and the public, be allowed unrestricted access to the report by having copies of the report to read at leisure and that the EPA chief appear before the Senate committee to answer its questions.