Leahy Slams ‘Midnight’ Bid
To Relax Mercury-In-Fish Warnings
To Women And Children
December 12, 2008
[The
Washington Post
Friday reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the White
House are considering easing the official advisory cautioning women and
children about mercury in certain fish. Scientists at the
Environmental Protection Agency reportedly are concerned about the move
to relax the warning. The move is one of several “midnight” rules
and policy changes in the pipeline in the waning days of the Bush
Administration. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), long a leader on
mercury pollution policy, issued the following comments:]
“The issue of mercury has become Exhibit A of the cozy way the Bush
Administration has put special interests above the public’s health when
it comes to environmental policy. They have done the bidding of
the big polluters, even effectively letting them write clean air and
water rules. Once again the Bush Administration seems intent on
ignoring sound science on mercury poisoning. First they tried to
ignore the Clean Air Act to go easy on mercury and other harmful
pollutants spewed from power plants. Congress and the courts had
to step in to halt that effort. Now, in the administration’s 11th
hour, they are quietly trying to water down advisories for women and
children about the dangers of mercury in fish, disregarding sound
science on this issue. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin capable of
impairing childhood development at very low levels. This backroom
bouquet for special interests should be stopped in its tracks. If they
slip this through, I will work with the incoming Obama Administration to
restore science-based decisions on mercury.”
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