House Dems demand hearings on EPA air quality assurances after Sept. 11

[Nambe]

WASHINGTON (AP)

House Democrats on Wednesday asked for hearings into allegations the Environmental Protection Agency misled New Yorkers about the dangers of debris in the air around the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We do not want the Congress of the United States to be party to a scandal," said the House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, of California.

Pelosi was joined by Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes ground zero, and others in her party in calling for a congressional investigation of the EPA's response to the attacks.

Last month, the EPA's internal watchdog found the agency, at the urging of White House officials, gave misleading assurances there was no health risk from the dust in the air after the twin towers' collapse. ---


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