Bush Still Protecting Polluters

Even though he has less than 100 days in office left, George Bush is still acting to protect polluters -- even though they are poisoning little children. I guess if you sold out to the corporations years ago, and you're already the most unpopular president ever, why should you change? After all, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Recent scientific studies have shown that lead is dangerous at much lower levels than previously thought. This is especially true for children, where lead can cause internal injuries and IQ loss. Because of this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to make the monitoring of lead levels from businesses more strenuous.

The EPA wanted to monitor any business thought to produce at least a half-ton of lead pollution each year. That would have required up to 600 monitors near places like lead smelters, cement plants and steel mills. But the Bush administration wouldn't hear of it.

After a few e-mails passed between the EPA and the White House, the EPA has suddenly adjusted its new standards. Now a monitor will be required only for plants that produce over a ton of lead each year. That cuts out 60% of the businesses that would be monitored. It would require only 135 monitors (and 133 exist already). Basically, Bush has gutted the new monitoring standards so that no businesses will be monitored that aren't already being monitored.

The EPA will put a new monitor in each city of over 500,000, but that is just window dressing. A monitor that is not placed near the source of the lead is of no actual value.

Once again the Bush administration has acted to protect polluters at the expense of the health of American citizens and their children. They should be ashamed of themselves.