Congress Stonewalled

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four Democratic senators on Tuesday called for Stephen Johnson to resign as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and asked Attorney General Michael Mukasey to begin an investigation into whether he lied in testimony to a Senate committee.

The senators, all members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said Johnson — the first career scientist to head up the agency — had repeatedly succumbed to political pressure on decisions vital to protecting health and the environment.

By Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency has told its staff not to answer questions from the agency's internal watchdog, news reporters or the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, according an internal memo that an environmental group released Monday.

By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney’s office pushed for major deletions in congressional testimony on the public health consequences of climate change, fearing the presentation by a leading health official might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases, a former EPA officials maintains.0708 11

March 26, 2008

The Honorable Stephen Johnson, Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator Johnson:

I understand that you and a substantial number of EPA staff members are planning a trip to Australia, and that this trip has made you unavailable to testify before this Committee on certain important matters through much of April.

An appeal from Senator Barbara Boxer:

Several weeks ago, as Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I demanded that EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson submit documents to reveal why, over the unanimous recommendations of his technical and legal staff, he rejected an effort by California and 18 other states to fight global warming. We asked the Bush EPA for answers. Instead, we got white-out.

On April 4, 2008, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote to Johnson in a letter available as a PDF and pasted below.

April4,2008
The Honorable Stephen L. Johnson
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N'W
Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator Johnson:

Over the course of this Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
issued numerous rules and other decisions that have been overturned by the courts. The