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Katrina Victims Deserve the Truth

On August 31, government officials declared the Gulf Region a public health emergency.

The EPA has reported the potential for leaking natural gas lines, lead, and spills, but will not release a full report.

On September 4, four days after the hurricane made landfall, Mark Schleifstein of the Times-Picayune wrote to the EPA under the Freedom of Information Act and requested “reports of spills, releases, accidents, fires, flooding that resulted in reportable movements of materials,” and related information. So far there had been no response.

What is the EPA hiding?

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Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the EPA insisted there was “no evidence of any significant public health hazard to residents, visitors or workers beyond the immediate World Trade Center area.” That conclusion proved to be tragically wrong. The EPA concealed overwhelming evidence of significant health risks, including asbestos and acid gases, and hundreds of people became serious ill.

The EPA needs to be straight with the American people this time.