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

Rep. Waxman Requests GAO Study on EPA Budget Cuts

Reps. Waxman, Gordon, and Dingell request that the GAO examine the Administration's plan to cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's library system by over 30 percent. The budget cut will force EPA to substantially restructure library services by closing some libraries and reducing hours and services at others.

Rep. Waxman Releases Internal Commerce Department E-Mails on Climate Change

Rep. Waxman requests Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez explain emails that appear to show that his office denied a media request to interview a NOAA scientist who had concluded that global warming may lead to more dangerous hurricanes.

GAO Finds EPA Failing to Protect Public Health from Toxic Air Pollution

In a new report, GAO finds that sixteen years after Congress passed the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, EPA has failed to carry out many of the Act’s requirements to protect Americans from cancer-causing toxic air pollution.

EPA Rulemaking Delay May Harm Public Health

Rep. Waxman, along with Sens. Boxer and Obama, protests an EPA plan to further delay the final Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule, which is already years overdue. Another year of delay will allow more children to be exposed to hazardous lead contamination in their homes and undermine the public health.

Committee Requests Bush Administration Climate Change Documents

In a letter to the President's Council on Environmental Quality, Ranking Member Waxman and Chairman Davis request documents related to CEQ’s review and editing of government reports on global warming.

Safe Climate Act Will Significantly Reduce Global Warming

Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman, together with twelve of his House colleagues, introduced the “Safe Climate Act of 2006.” The legislation is based on what scientists have concluded the United States must do to avoid dangerous, irreversible warming of the planet and would significantly reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases.

Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry Again Question Administration's Emissions Claims

In a follow-up to the Administration's response to their Jan. 26, 2006, letter that questioned Dr. Paula Dobriansky's statements that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have fallen in recent years, Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry remind Dr. Dobriansky that under this Administration, U.S. emissions have hit their highest level ever.

Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry Question Administration's Emissions Claims

In a letter, Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry ask Dr. Paula Dobriansky to explain why, as head of the U.S. delegation to the UN Conference on Climate Change, she stated that U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases had fallen, when in fact they have risen by 3.5% during the Bush Administration.

Committee Democrats Ask for Explanation of EPA's Proposed Rollbacks of the Toxics Release Inventory

In a letter to EPA, Reps Lynch, Waxman, and Kucinich express concern about the EPA's proposal to roll back the program that gathers information about industry use and release of toxic chemicals.

Democrats Defend California's Environmental Protections Against Federal Preemption

Twenty-nine members of the California Democratic delegation, led by Reps. Henry A. Waxman, Jim Costa, and Anna G. Eshoo, write to Transportation Secretary Mineta challenging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's attempt to preempt California's landmark law to reduce global warming.

EPA Is Using Katrina to Undermine the Clean Air Act

EPA has drafted legislation that would allow the agency to waive any provision of the Clean Air Act, nationwide – including limits on toxic emissions and the health-based air quality standards – without any notice or public comment whenever the Administrator chooses to declare an emergency.

New EPA Proposal Encourages Human Pesticide Experiments

Reps. Waxman and Solis, along with Sen. Boxer, release an analysis of the new draft EPA rule, slated for proposal next month, would allow the systematic testing of pesticides on humans. The proposed rule fails to adopt key recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences and EPA's own advisory committee, and it includes loopholes that invite abuse.

Bush Administration Politicized Climate Change Science

Reps. Waxman and Olver write to colleagues about the Bush Administration's tampering with climate change science.

GAO Asked to Investigate White House Interference with Climate Change Reports

Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry ask GAO to look into a recent whistleblower report that former oil industry lobbyist Phillip A. Cooney altered government scientific reports on global warming and that the "White House so successfully politicized the science program that" it became necessary for the whistleblower to resign.

EPA Abandons Rule on Lead Poisoning from Home Renovations

Rep. Waxman, Sens. Boxer and Obama, and Reps. Towns and Lynch protest EPA's abandonment of regulations required by law to protect children from exposure to lead in renovated homes.

EPA Report Politicizes Science on Drilling Technique

Rep. Waxman asks the EPA Inspector General to investigate the influence of political considerations on an EPA report that concludes that "hydraulic fracturing" of oil and gas wells, an extraction technique promoted by Halliburton, does not pose a risk to drinking water.

Development of EPA Shop Towel Proposal Raises Serious Concerns

Rep. Waxman, Rep. DeLauro, Sen. Boxer, and Sen. Clinton ask EPA about a recent report that, in developing proposed new regulations concerning "solvent-contaminated industrial wipes," EPA conducted public participation in an inappropriate and one-sided manner.

Bipartisan House Group Calls on EPA to Issue Stronger Mercury Rule

Reps. Waxman, Cooper, Allen, Grijalva, E.B. Johnson, McCollum, Schakowsky, Solis, and 172 other members of Congress urge EPA to issue a rule on mercury emissions that meets the requirements of federal law and acts decisively to address the urgent threat that mercury poses to the nation’s public health.

Current Mercury Rulemaking Plan Compromised in Process and Substance

Reps. Waxman, Allen, and Schakowsky and Sen. Leahy urge the EPA to rescue the rulemaking process on power plant emissions by analyzing legally viable options and issuing a new or supplemental proposal.

More Questions on Preventing District Drinking Water Contamination

Following a Government Reform Committee hearing, Rep. Waxman, Chairman Davis, Congresswoman Norton, and Rep. Van Hollen detail further questions on the roles and responsibilities of EPA, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Washington Aqueduct in preventing lead contamination in the District's drinking water supply.

In Light of District Drinking Water Contamination, Members Urge Changes to EPA Lead Rule

Rep. Waxman, Chairman Davis, and Congresswoman Norton urge EPA to address weaknesses in the drinking water lead rule, including the lack of enforceable standards and shortcomings in public notification requirements.

EPA Questioned on Obligation to Ensure Safe Drinking Water in DC

Rep. Waxman, Chairman Davis, and Congresswoman Norton seek information on whether EPA adequately carried out its responsibility to prevent lead contamination in tap water in the District of Columbia.

EPA Questioned on Lobbyist Role in Mercury Rulemaking

Reps. Waxman and Allen ask for information on reports that portions of the latest air pollution control proposal may have been copied directly from industry lobbyist memos.

H.R. 2138 Fails to Further Goal of Environmental Protection

Reps. Waxman and Tierney write Subcommittee on Energy Policy Chairman Ose on proposed legislation that would elevate the Environmental Protection Agency to cabinet-level status and makes significant changes to EPA's mission, structure, and authorities.

EPA Asked to Immediately Release Information on Ground Zero Health Risks

Reps. Waxman, Dingell, Conyers, and George Miller ask EPA to release all relevant information on health risks in New York City after Sept. 11, 2001.

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