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When it Comes to Censorship The EPA is a Classic Example But is Colorado’s Equivalent Agency any Better?: By Phillip Reynes

October 17, 2008 by phil

I can’t help but feel a sense of disillusionment when government agencies, supposedly designed to protect and serve the public, consistently use censorship and dishonesty to further the needs of industry and large corporations. There was a time when I was much younger when I trusted and believed in our government. I was taught to believe in in my government in school and by my parents, I was taught to be patriotic. I was taught that our republic was controlled by the people and that civil servants where public servants protecting the public interest. I’ve come to see over the years that this is no longer true. This belief like the belief in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fair has long vanished for me. Our government is, or at least should be, more then a fairy tale myth that we let go off as we become adults.

I can’t help feel a sense of sadness when I see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA) deliberately distort and fudge science in order to protect various industries and special interest groups. Under pressure from the chemical industry the EPA has dismissed an outspoken scientist who chaired a federal panel responsible for helping the EPA determine the dangers of a flame retardant widely used in electronic equipment according to Marla Cone a Los Angles Times staff writer. Ms. Cone’s article recounts the firing of toxicologist Deborah Rice who was removed as chair of the panel a little more then a year ago after the American Chemistry Council (the ACC), The big lobby for chemical interests in the US, complained to the EPA brass that they felt she was biased. Well known Congressman Henry Waxman the then chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, expressed concern by Rice’s firing. Waxman went on to say; “If this information is accurate, it raises serious questions about EPA’s approach to preventing conflicts of interest on its expert scientific panels.” Since Mr. Waxman made the statement it has been shown that the “information” is indeed accurate.

The panel she chaired at the EPA was made up of chemical industry members and the objection of the ACC seems to be that Rice found the insulations fumes when combusted to be harmful to humans. How can this be a conflict or bias? This is a professional opinion and not a bias. This of course is no surprise to anyone but the few who still believe in Santa Claus. After all look how long it took the EPA to accept global warming. The fact is the report was censored and in the end the concerns that this insulation when heated could release harmful fumes was censored.

Colorado’s equivalent to the EPA is the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. This department of Colorado’s State government seems little different with its agents like Mark (I don't want to give his last name) who works on super fund sites around the state and also sidelines as a consultant for land and corporate interest. I have to wonder why we should trust government officials who make money on the side working in the same field they are supposed to regulate. In Mark’s case he does wetland assessment and remediation as a consultant and works for the state doing the same job of wetlands assessment. He is not the only one in this department that I've talked to that does this sort of moonlighting.

I can’t help but feel that these sorts of things undermine the people’s confidence in our government in that industry seems to be able to influence ours state and federal workers at so many levels of the process. In the first example above industry gets to dictate who sites on important regulatory panels. In the second example state employees charged with doing wet land surveys and assessment on behalf of the people get to do side jobs for land owners and corporations who use this data for state regulators and planning agencies. Does anyone think this is right? Does anyone think our government should be more concerned with the people it purports to serve? Thomas Jefferson said; “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate,” maybe the majority just does not care anymore.

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(Actually, this is for all Colorado and all of the country. Why's that option not there in the "Region" box?)

Health care bill, now in hands of the Senate, ignores every industrial threat and harm to health. It finds that people's behavior is the biggest threat. Could this be because all Senators are economically-linked to health-harming industries, AND their insurers and investors? Sworn and public-paid Congress members wouldn't go AWOL on their solemn oaths and duties to the people, would they?

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