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Ear to the Ground

EPA Tells Agency’s Enforcers to Zip It

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Posted on Jul 29, 2008

According to an internal e-mail obtained by the AP, the chief of staff of the EPA’s enforcement wing has issued a gag order, telling staffers in June exactly what to do should a reporter, the inspector general or the Government Accountability Office call: “Please do not respond to questions or make any statements.”

Before this disclosure, the EPA was already under fire for, in the words of Sen. Barbara Boxer, acting as “a secretive, dangerous ally of polluters.”


AP via Google:

The Environmental Protection Agency is telling its pollution enforcement officials not to talk with congressional investigators, reporters and even the agency’s own inspector general, according to an internal e-mail provided to The Associated Press.

The June 16 message instructs 11 managers in the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, the branch of the agency charged with making sure environmental laws are followed, to remind their staff members to keep quiet.

“If you are contacted directly by the IG’s office or GAO requesting information of any kind ... please do not respond to questions or make any statements,” reads the e-mail sent by Robbi Farrell, the division’s chief of staff. Instead, staff members should forward inquiries to a designated EPA representative, the memo says.

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By Jim Yell, July 30, 2008 at 2:55 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

One of the least talked about crimes against the American People is this Cheney/Bush administrations crime of trying to destroy oversight and regulation responsibilities of the government by appointing right wing nut cases to run the departments. Brownie wasn’t the only one, he was just the tip of the ice berg. And, why is Congress waffling around with Rove, put the goon in jail. The American people have paid high wages for work that wasn’t done and in fact the ones responsible for doing the work have not done their jobs. Put them all in jail.

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By Purple Girl, July 30, 2008 at 11:09 am #

So is the EPA covering the Corps ass, Or is it the Corps run the IG office, And the GAO. Actually I figure the Corps runs both the Republican Party and the Democratic party anyways.REgardless of what color most camoflgue themselves in- DC good Ol’ Boy system has it’s infiltrators and accomplices in all aspects of Gov’t. So is this warnig to avoid information being buried, or ruled upon and exonerated by the Good Ol’ Boys in the IG & GAO, or is it what it -at face value- appears to be?
Let’s be realistic -the only way this Oil Regime was able to Con the American public into invading Iraq, was with the help of most Dems in Congress who blatantly refused to do their jobs. Refusing to even give a real voice to those who opposed this action to begin with.They were so absorbed with their own Political Livlihood they were derelicit in their duty to act as a Check and Balance, when it came to War,spying, interrogation techniques, Privatization of the military, Banking-lending & borrowing stratedgies….They have not ‘Caved’ they helped PAVE the way. If this ‘majority’ is so unable to pass it’s Bills due to lack of votes- how did the Republican controlled Congress pass it’s without any problem for the last few decades. consider the ‘Draia circling’ of this country started LONG before this CheneyCorp Admin, before the Republican win in Congress in the ‘94. it was started at least during the Reagan years, and who held the majority then?
There is no Doubt in My mind that it is NOT only the Republican party who need to be disinfected, from Corp Influence and associations. That is why I am hoping Sen Obama names Sen Chuck Hagel as his VP so we can finally clean out both sides without the appearance or diversion of ‘bipartisanship’.
As a Long time voting Dem- such Traitors as My long time Senator Carl Levin Will NOT be getting my Vote.The obvious depleting of Michigan Jobs over the last few decades alone attests to his complicity with the Corp Doctrine of undermining the labor force.
For those who are now thinking - vote for Nadar- consider how much Nadar has NOT done in the last 4 decades, he’s a Red herring propped Up by the Corps to aid in their ‘Divide & Conquer’ handbook tactics. Jus tlike mcCain- it is not what you did 40 yrs ago which indicates your patriotism- it is what you have done or Not done since!

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