A Senate Environment and Public Works Committee report released Sept. 23 claims the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House did not act inappropriately in addressing public health concerns in New York City after 9/11. The committee’s report sharply contrasts an Aug. 22 EPA Inspector General’s report that revealed EPA altered press releases to falsely reassure the public because of pressure from the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Some committee members sent Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) a letter asking for a committee hearing immediately after the IG report’s release. Inhofe called the request “strictly political” and instead initiated a review, which lead to the committee report. The committee report describes EPA’s response as “phenomenal” and states that the agency exceeded its obligation to protect public health. The report acknowledges that the press releases reflected the coordinated views of EPA, CEQ and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). However, it asserts that the CEQ edits were not inappropriate because the president directed the agency to coordinate decisions and information between EPA and OSHA. Committee member Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-NY) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) both expressed continued concerns with EPA’s response after 9/11. Read OMB Watch’s previous articles on the EPA response. (Aug. 25, Sept. 08)