Imminent and Substantial
While the White House refuses to open official emails from the EPA containing policy recommendations they don’t like, the Pentagon is busy refusing orders from the EPA to clean up toxic chemical spills on several military bases.
The Washington Post reports that chemicals posing “imminent and substantial” dangers to the health of the public and the environment are present in the soil and groundwater at several military installations. The EPA has ordered to Pentagon to add the sites to the Superfund list and begin a clean-up of the affected areas.
Apparently, cleaning up is with the terrorists:
The Pentagon has . . . declined to sign agreements required by law that cover 12 other military sites on the Superfund list of the most polluted places in the country. The contracts would spell out a remediation plan, set schedules, and allow the EPA to oversee the work and assess penalties if milestones are missed.
Experts in the field of environmental law say that this move is extraordinary:
“This is stunning,” said Rena Steinzor, who helped write the Superfund laws as a congressional staffer and now teaches at the University of Maryland Law School and is president of the nonprofit Center for Progressive Reform. “The idea that they would refuse to sign a final order — that is the height of amazing nerve.”
Yes, the “height of amazing nerve.” Pretty much sums up the past 7 years.
