Clinton, Nadler to investigate post-9/11 environmental cleanup

[Tellurian]

Sen. Hillary Clinton announced today that, along with a New York Congressman, she will chair a probe looking into the federal government's response and environmental clean-up efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"We need to examine what went wrong and assess whether the federal government is better prepared to respond to environmental hazards in future disasters," Clinton said in a news release. "I also remain concerned about potential indoor contamination resulting from the collapse of the World Trade Center and want to take a close look at the Pea's inadequate program to test and clean residential areas in Manhattan."

(...)

Leading the investigation in the House will be Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY, who chairs House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Clinton and Nadler have criticized the government's failure to properly test and clean buildings contaminated by toxins released from the crumbling World Trade Center.

"Finally, we have an opportunity to hear, on the record and first hand, who in the federal government was really responsible for key decisions about the handling of post-9/11 air quality," Nadler said in the release. "And from there we can finally learn why those decisions were made -- decisions that are still having an impact on 9/11 victims today."

Nadler will convene the first hearing on the post-9/11 cleanup next Tuesday. Among the witnesses he invited is former Environmental Protection Agency head Christine Todd Whitman. Clinton has Senate hearings tentatively scheduled for the end of next month.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Clinton_Nadler_to_investigate_post911_environmental_0515.html


Full transcript of press release below:

"Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, announced today that they will conduct companion hearings into the failures of the Federal government in responding to the environmental crisis that resulted from the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. For over five years, Clinton and Nadler have staunchly criticized the Administration's misleading public statements about post-9/11 air quality, as well as its continued failure to provide a proper testing and cleaning of indoor spaces contaminated by WTC toxins and its lack of provision of health care for the thousands of people who are ill as a result of exposure to the pollutants.

These hearings represent the first comprehensive Congressional oversight investigations into these environmental matters since the immediate aftermath of the attacks. While in the Majority, Republican House leadership steadfastly refused to hold a single hearing on this matter, or even respond to a written request made in September 2003 by Nadler, then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and then-Ranking Members John Conyers, John Dingell, George Miller, and Henry Waxman.

See http://www.house.gov/nadler/archive108/EPA_091703.htm

"We need to examine what went wrong and assess whether the federal government is better prepared to respond to environmental hazards in future disasters," said Senator Clinton. "I also remain concerned about potential indoor contamination resulting from the collapse of the World Trade Center and want to take a close look at the EPA's inadequate program to test and clean residential areas in Manhattan."

"Finally, we have an opportunity to hear, on the record and first hand, who in the federal government was really responsible for key decisions about the handling of post-9/11 air quality. And from there we can finally learn why those decisions were made -- decisions that are still having an impact on 9/11 victims today," said Nadler. "The lack of thorough Congressional oversight thus far has allowed for years finger-pointing and evading of responsibility on the part of the Federal government, but now is time for the truth. We must, at long last, get to the bottom of these matters, so we can do what is right for the heroes of 9/11, and ensure that we prevent anything like this from ever happening again." he added.

The House hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, at 10:00 A.M, in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building, and will examine the federal post-9/11 environmental response and related possible violations of the "substantive due process rights" of individuals living and working in the vicinity of the World Trade Center on, or after, September 11, 2001. In a recent decision, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman's falsely reassuring and misleading statements of safety after the September 11, 2001 attacks were "without question conscience-shocking." The court also found the facts "support an allegation of a violation of the substantive due process right to be free from official government policies that increase the risk of bodily harm" by Whitman's misstatements regarding the air quality of the affected area. An EPA Inspector General review reached similar conclusions. Invited to testify are:

Christine Todd Whitman, Former Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ;

John Henshaw, Former Administrator, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) ;

Samuel Thernstrum, Former Member, White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) ;

Tina Kreisher, Former Associate Administrator for Communications, Education and Media Relations, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ;

Suzanne Mattei, Former New York City Executive of the Sierra Club and Author of Pollution and Deception at Ground Zero ;

David Newman, New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health and Former Member, World Trade Center Technical Review Panel ;

Paul Harris, Shook, Hardy & Bacon (minority witness);

Other minority witness to be determined

The Senate hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 20th, 2007 and will examine the federal response to 9-11, including risk communication and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency programs to test and clean indoor spaces in lower Manhattan. The hearing will also examine lessons learned from 9-11 and federal readiness to respond to releases of hazardous substances in future emergencies. The hearing is expected to include testimony from EPA and CEQ officials, as well as affected New Yorkers and scientific experts.

..Great! Hillary should have full access to what they knew and when they knew it!

[ulysses]

1. nadLer.

[central scrutinizer]

3. more people will read the OP this way

[Tellurian]

12. More good news for NY..Spitzer to endorse Hillary

NY Gov. Spitzer to endorse Clinton


"New Yorkers know first hand how effective Hillary is as a leader, which is why her support runs deep in this state," Spitzer said Tuesday. "As senator she has capably represented New Yorkers and together with countless other supporters I look forward to sharing with the rest of the country the values and strengths that will make her an excellent president."

Spitzer had thus far put off an endorsement, saying it was premature. The event Monday is expected to draw a host of other New York Democrats, including state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov. David Paterson.

For months, Spitzer has hedged about an endorsement of Clinton, who leads national polls for the Democratic nomination. But the governor had dropped enough hints that the endorsement really came down to a guessing game about when — not if — it would happen.

"What an amazing president she will be for every person in this country," Spitzer gushed last month when the two spoke before a teachers' convention in Washington.

New York Democrats have generally lined up behind Clinton with a few exceptions: state Sen. Bill Perkins, a former New York City Council member, recently endorsed Sen. Barack Obama presidential bid.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070508/ap_on_el_pr/on_the2008_trail_80

[NYCGirl]

2. That's NADLER, not NADER. (Jerry Nadler is my Congressman). NT

[ElizabethDC]

4. I think you mean Nadler, not Nader

in the headline. :)

Hillary + Nader would be an odd combination indeed!

[Tellurian]

5. About ding-dang time they have the power to probe into what exactly happened...

and with any LUCK stumble upon some revealing information we all need to hear.

[bluestateguy]

6. Nadler. Democrats don't talk to Ralph Nader since 2000.

Him and his Eurpoean-style third party bullshit have cost this country a great deal.

[Tellurian]

7. Amazing, spellcheck recognizes Nader..

I thought i had corrected all the Naders to Nadler..

[mtnsnake]

8. This is an important issue & thank goodness Hillary & Nadler are going after it!

If it were up to the repukes, they'd let everyone in the country suck in poisonous toxins if it would save the greedy Republicans a dime. Kudos to Nadler and the Goddess of Peace, who is a staunch environmentalist in her own right. Just like she works for the people of northern NY where I'm from, now she's looking after her constituents in the City.

[rudy23]

9. This is a good way for Hillary to beat up on Rudy before the primaries even start!

I have to say, I'm not impressed with her positions, but I'm impressed with the aggressiveness of her campaign (just a little too aggressive against her Democratic opponents).

[Tellurian]

10. The media is already cranking on Rudy

Talking up his millions of income and his new law office in Texas. Also his conflicts of interest doing business between his firm and the White House. He's, imo- DOA! Lashed to the mainsail on the deck of the Pequod, he's the latest in a long line of Captain Ahabs lashed to Bush and the sinking Repuglican Party.

[AtomicKitten]

11. Excellent.

Yet another example of the Hillster's brilliant campaign strategy -- doing something because it's the right thing to do PLUS it will stick a shiv into Giuliani. The woman clearly knows what she is doing. Brava!