Dismantling the Public's Right to Know

"Under the Bush administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is slowly dismantling its flagship environemtnal information tool - the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The program has been protected and improved for over the last 15 years, since it was put in place during the Reagan administration. The TRI database enables the public to learn about the envirnomental risks in our workplaces and communities by providing informtion about hundreds of toxic chemiclas relased into the environment. Moreover, the TRI program has served as a constant example of the vital role information plays in a democracy, and the importance of the public's right to know. Unfortunately, the program's success has made it a target for those that seek to reduce corporate oversight and accountability." Source: OMB Watch

See the full report at DocuTicker: www.docuticker.com/2006/01/dismantling-publics-right-to-know.html

"We have no idea what's coming out of that plant...." Quote from a New Mexico Environment Department official who must go unnamed, January 2006