Environment

Environmental laws like the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Food Quality Protection Act improve America’s environment and protect public health. These landmark laws have helped provide Americans cleaner air, cleaner water, and safer food. While these environmental laws have been successful, a number of recent investigations for members of Congress by the Special Investigations Division have highlighted ongoing environmental problems.

Latest News

Chairman Waxman Reveals EPA Record of Court Losses, Opposes Legally Flawed Rule to Weaken Pollution Controls

In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman quantifies EPA’s extensive losses in federal court, details the harms they have caused, and urges EPA not to exacerbate those harms by issuing another legally reckless rule to weaken air pollution controls on power plants.

Members Support Principles for Global Warming Legislation

152 Members of Congress, led by Rep. Waxman, Rep. Markey, and Rep. Inslee, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi detailing a set of principles to guide Congress as it produces legislation to establish an economy-wide mandatory program to address the threat of global warming.

Committee to Hold Hearing on Implementation and Enforcement of the Clean Water Act

The Committee will hold a hearing on September 24, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. to examine the implementation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. To date, EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have failed to provide the Committee with important documents. Chairman Waxman invited both agencies to testify and requests that documents be provided prior to the hearing.

Update: This hearing has been canceled.

Chairman Waxman Issues a Subpoena for Clean Water Act Documents

Chairman Waxman issued a subpoena to compel the EPA to provide documents relating to the agency’s faltering enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

Chairman Waxman Renews Request for Information on Impacts of EPA Court Losses

In a letter to EPA, Chairman Waxman reiterates and expands his request for information on the costs of EPA’s numerous losses in court, which include taxpayer dollars wasted and delays in public health and environmental protections.

Chairman Waxman Questions Corps of Engineers’ L.A. River and Santa Cruz River Decisions

In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, Chairman Waxman and Chairman Oberstar requested information about whether the Corps is undermining the Clean Water Act with recent decisions affecting the Los Angeles River and Santa Cruz River.

EPA Provides Analyses of Greenhouse Gas Reductions from Transportation

In response to Chairman Waxman’s inquiry, EPA provided analyses EPA had conducted of reductions that would be necessary from the transportation sector to meet a range of global warming goals.

Committee Seeks Information About Documents Withheld Under Executive Privilege

Chairman Waxman sent letters seeking additional information about documents withheld from the Committee under claims of executive privilege by President Bush, including documents relating to whether the White House complied with the Clean Air Act on important environmental decisions and documents relating to the outing of covert CIA official Valerie Plame Wilson.

Chairman Waxman Sets Deadline for EPA Clean Water Documents

In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman and Chairman Oberstar requested that documents regarding EPA’s faltering enforcement of the Clean Water Act be provided to the Committees by August 14, 2008.

Chairman Waxman Releases Statement on Desert Rock Coal-Fired Power Plant Announcement

Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency issuance of an air permit for the Desert Rock Energy Facility, a new coal-fired power plant.

New Source Review Rule Could Worsen Global Warming

In response to Chairman Waxman’s inquiry, EPA reveals that its proposed rule to weaken the Clean Air Act new source review requirements for power plants could allow power plants to increase their CO2 emissions by up to 74 million tons per year, which is roughly equivalent to the total annual CO2 emissions of about 14 average coal-fired power plants.

Chairman Waxman Presses EPA for Clean Water Documents

In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman and Chairman Oberstar requested that EPA work with the Committee to set a timeline for the production of documents regarding EPA’s faltering enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

Chairman Waxman Requests Assurance that EPA Will Not Hurt Air Quality in National Parks

Chairman Waxman wrote to EPA Administrator Johnson to request a full analysis of the environmental and public health impacts of a controversial proposal that threatens to degrade air quality in national parks and other areas with clean air. Citing concerns raised by EPA’s own staff, Chairman Waxman requested that that no proposals be finalized that would increase pollution in parks, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas or other clean air areas.

Internal EPA Document Shows 500 Enforcement Cases Adversely Affected

Today, Chairman Waxman and Chairman Oberstar requested documents and information relating to EPA’s enforcement of the Clean Water Act. An internal EPA document obtained by the Chairmen show that EPA’s enforcement actions across the country have severely suffered as a result of a Supreme Court case and guidance issued by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

White House Asserts Executive Privilege over Environment Documents

President Bush has asserted executive privilege over thousands of pages of documents that would show whether the President and his staff complied with the Clean Air Act in overruling EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson on important environmental decisions.

Chairman Waxman Responds to EPA and OMB

Today, Chairman Waxman urged EPA Administrator Johnson and White House official Dudley to produce subpoenaed documents in light of tomorrow’s scheduled vote to hold them in contempt.

EPA Begins Assessing Navajo Nation Uranium Contamination

A Committee hearing into uranium contamination on the Navajo Reservation prompted the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies to begin assessing the extent of contamination and to prepare clean up plans.

Agencies Submit 5-year Action Plan for Uranium Contamination in the Navajo Nation

In response to a request by Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis, five federal agencies jointly submitted to the Committee a five-year action plan to begin cleaning up the widespread uranium contamination in the Navajo Nation.

Chairman Waxman Schedules Contempt Vote

In letters to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and White House official Susan Dudley, Chairman Waxman announces that the Committee will consider holding them in contempt for their repeated refusal to provide subpoenaed documents to the Committee. The subpoenaed documents involve the White House role in EPA’s ozone standards and rejection of California’s motor vehicle emission standards.

New Power Plant Rules Could Increase Pollution and Exacerbate Global Warming

Chairman Waxman wrote to EPA Administrator Johnson to request information regarding the effects of a proposed rule to weaken the “new source review” requirements governing power plants, which would allow older power plants to increase their emissions of air pollutants and exacerbate global warming.

Committee Holds Hearing on EPA's New Ozone Standards

The Committee held holding a hearing titled, “EPA’s New Ozone Standards” at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.

White House Overruled EPA Administrator on Ozone Regulation

A Committee investigation has uncovered details of White House involvement in EPA’s regulation of ozone on the eve of a court imposed deadline, forcing EPA staff to scrap a standard supported by its independent panel and to perform “emergency rewrites” to the regulation. Documents obtained by the Committee show that EPA staff raised serious concerns about the merits and legality of the decision.

White House Involved in California Waiver Denial

New documents and testimony obtained by the Committee show that EPA career staff unanimously supported granting California’s request for a waiver to enforce its greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson also supported granting the petition, at least in part, until he communicated with the White House.

Chairman Waxman Requests EPA Analyses of Global Warming Pollution from Transportation

In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman requested copies of analyses performed by EPA to evaluate transportation sector global warming pollution reductions needed to meet climate goals.

Chairman Waxman Releases Internal Administration Documents, Calls for Right Whale Protections

In a letter to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Dudley, Chairman Waxman urged the release of a pending rule to protect endangered right whales from being killed by ships, and released documents indicating that the rule’s delay may be due to baseless objections raised by White House officials.

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