After Voting To Slash ... EPA, Rep. Barletta Now Outraged It’s Not Doing More In His District

[kristopher]

After Voting To Slash Funding For The EPA, Rep. Barletta Now Outraged It’s Not Doing More In His District

Three months after voting to eliminate funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) now says he’s outraged that the EPA isn’t doing more to protect the health of residents in his district. Barletta is insisting that the agency pay special attention to an area in Pittson, PA, after one resident alleged that a tunnel near a Superfund site gave him cancer. The EPA held an open house and information session to address the concerns of residents in the area, but said it did not plan to conduct further testing. This outraged Barletta, who called their decision “unacceptable”:

On Wednesday, Barletta sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson asking the agency to perform additional testing in the Carroll/Mill Street neighborhood.<...>“Frankly, this is unacceptable. The EPA’s own Web site indicates that one of the agency’s primary reasons for existence is to ensure that ‘all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work.’”<...>

“I was surprised to hear an EPA official basically tell the residents of the Carroll/Mill neighborhood that they would not conduct soil and water testing to find answers. It is absolutely the EPA’s job, and I’m going to make sure that job is done. The residents are scared, and they deserve answers and peace of mind.”

That’s an ironic position for Barletta, considering how often he’s tried to prevent the EPA from doing its job. In February, Barletta voted with the rest of the Republican-controlled House for an amendment that slashed funding for the EPA. Republicans were retaliating against the agency for its efforts to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), one of the authors of the amendment, said, “The era of EPA overstepping its authority by imposing over-burdensome and unnecessary regulations at the expense of American businesses is over.”

Barletta’s vote to gut funding ...

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/27/barletta-epa/

[Zoeisright]

1. Fucking hypocrite.

Why isn't someone shoving Barletta's face in this?

[Angry Dragon]

2. The stupid runs rampant in that man's head

Perhaps if nothing is in there it will implode

[lfairban]

3. Why not Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has it's own environmental agency:

http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/dep_home/5968

like most states. Why can't they do the testing?

[toddwv]

4. Standard M.O. For Republicans.

Cut funding.
Cut enforcement.
Deregulate.
Complain because an agency can't do it's job.

[tblue37]

5. My late father's family live in Pittston and its surrounding areas.

He grew up in Pittston, and that is where I return to see my extended family. I lived 7 miles away (in Avoca) from the time I ws 13 until I married in 1970.

I hate to think that so many people that I know and care about are being exposed to such toxic substances.

On the other hand, they are mostly conservative Republicans, so they undoubtedly voted for the jerk.