Saturday, March 31, 2012

EPA Facing Reversals of Environmental Regulation Efforts, FDA Couldn't Care Less...


Judge Overrules EPA Denial of Mountaintop Removal Coal PermitBy Matt Bewig, AllGov
30 March 12
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/10715-judge-overrules-epa-denial-of-mountaintop-removal-coal-permit

[Excerpted] "Despite a recent study showing that mountaintop removal coal mining - in which coal companies literally remove the tops of mountains, dump the tons of debris into nearby streams and then strip mine the underlying coal - causes children born nearby to suffer higher rates of birth defects, a federal district judge last week held that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could not revoke a permit for one such large project..."

Additionally, 

"EPA backpedals on Fracking" Wall Street Journal March 31 2012 p. A3 by D. Gilbert & R. Gold

[Excerpt] "The EPA has dropped its claim that an energy company contaminated drinking water in Texas, the third time in recent months that the agency has backtracked on high-profile local allegations linking natural gas drilling and water pollution..."

Majia here: These articles are extremely disconcerting. The EPA would not have attempted to regulate mountain top mining and fracking if it did not have very good science backing its stated concerns.

These reversals indicate that the political pressure being brought to bear on the EPA far surpasses the agency's commitments to protect public health.

The Obama administration surely is responsible for allowing this to occur.

The final bit of news concerns the FDA, which has failed to protect the public health for decades.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting the following: "U.S. Says Too Little Data to Ban Plastics Additive" March 31, 2012 p. A3

[Excerpt] "The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it lacks the scientific information to ban the chemical Bisphenol A from being used in food containers. The chemical, known as BPA, has been linked to possible health problems of the brain, breast and prostate..."

Majia here: This is ridiculous. There are countless scientific studies now that document the effects of BPA on the endocrine system. If you search BPA on my blog you will see how many times I've reported on BPA research. There is very conclusive research on this chemical.

The FDA is completely morally bankrupt.

Thankfully a number of companies have already phased BPA out of their products, including H. J. Heinz. Campbell Soup reports that it is currently phasing out the use of BPA and expects its soup to be BPA free by July 2013.

Sadly, these news articles illustrate how BROKEN our REGULATORY SYSTEM is...

Political appointees, Revolving doors, and Lobbying Pressures have corrupted the government agencies tasked with protecting human health.
 

1 comment:

  1. Yep, broken system struggling for its own survival. And expect them to go to the wall in that attempt.

    ReplyDelete

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