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A top U.S. environmental official in the Midwest has resigned,
telling the Chicago Tribune Thursday she was given an
ultimatum --
ultimatum --
quit or be fired by June 1.
CHICAGO (AP)  The top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
administrator in the Midwest resigned Thursday amid internal fights over dioxin
contamination near Dow Chemical Co.' s world headquarters in Michigan, according
to a published report. Mary Gade, regional administrator of EPA
Region 5, told the Chicago Tribune she resigned as regional administrator of EPA
Region 5 after two top EPA officials stripped her of her powers and told her to
quit or be fired by June 1. "There is no question this is about Dow," Gade told
the paper for a story on its Web site. [1] SAGINAW, Mich. - The battle over dioxin
contamination in this economically stressed region had been raging for years
when a top Bush administration official turned up the pressure on Dow Chemical
to clean it up. Following months of internal bickering over Mary Gade's
interactions with Dow, the administration forced her to quit as head of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's Midwest office, based in Chicago. Gade told
the Tribune she resigned after two aides to national EPA administrator Stephen
Johnson took away her powers as regional administrator and told her to quit or
be fired by June 1.[2]
WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- A top U.S.
environmental official in the Midwest has resigned, telling the Chicago Tribune
Thursday she was given an ultimatum -- quit or be fired by June 1. Mary Gade,
regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, said she decided
to resign. She said two political appointees from Washington gave her her
marching orders.[3]
Mary Gade, regional administrator of
EPA Region 5, told the Chicago Tribune she resigned as regional administrator of
EPA Region 5 after two top EPA officials stripped her of her powers and told her
to quit or be fired by June 1. "There is no question this is about Dow," Gade
told the paper for a story on its Web site.[4]
Dow asked EPA headquarters to intervene
in the dispute, and top deputies to EPA chief Stephen Johnson repeatedly
questioned Gade about the case. Then she was stripped of her authority and told
to quit or be fired. "There is no question this is about Dow," Gade said.[5]
Gade, a former corporate lawyer appointed by
President George W. Bush in 2006, got involved in a dispute with Dow Chemical
last year. Using her emergency powers, she ordered Dow to clean up four dioxin
hotspots downstream from its Michigan headquarters. "There is no question this
is about Dow," Gade said.[3] Officials have taken the swings down in one
riverside park to discourage kids from playing there. Men in rubber boots and
thick gloves occasionally knock on doors, asking residents whether they can dig
up a little soil in the yard. Gade, appointed by President Bush as regional EPA
administrator in September 2006, invoked emergency powers last summer to order
the company to remove three hotspots of dioxin near its Midland headquarters.
She demanded more dredging in November, when it was revealed that dioxin levels
along a park in Saginaw were 1.6 million parts per trillion, the highest amount
ever found in the U.S. Dow then sought to cut a deal on a more comprehensive
cleanup.[2] Dow responded by appealing to officials in
Washington, according to heavily redacted letters the Tribune obtained under the
Freedom of Information Act. Regional EPA administrators typically have wide
latitude to enforce environmental laws, but in April Gade drew fire from
officials in Washington after she sent contractors to test soil in a Saginaw
neighborhood where Dow had found high dioxin levels.[2]
Dow spokesman John Musser said Gades
departure came as a surprise. He said the chemical giant would rather work with
the federal government than with Michigan officials, who have been designated by
the agency to oversee future dioxin cleanup. "Flatly, we never asked or implied
that Ms. Gade be removed from her post," Musser told The Associated Press in a
telephone call late Thursday. "We have no idea what the EPAs reason was for this
move."[4] CHICAGO -- The top U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency administrator in the Midwest resigned Thursday amid internal
fights over dioxin contamination near Dow Chemical Co.' s world headquarters in
Michigan, according to a published report.[6] The Bush administration forced out the U.S.
EPA's top Midwest regulator on Thursday, after months of contention over a
pollution case involving Dow Chemical, the Chicago
Tribune reports.[5]
Dow and government regulators have debated for months
about how to cleanse a swath of waters and wetlands that now reaches 50 miles to
Lake Huron. The company has acknowledged tainting the Tittabawassee and the
adjoining Saginaw River, their flood plains, portions of the city of Midland and
Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay with dioxins  chemical byproducts believed to cause
cancer and damage reproductive and immune systems. Associated Press Writer John
Flesher in Traverse City, Mich., contributed to this report.[1] Jonathan Shradar, an EPA spokesman in
Washington, said Gade has been placed on administrative leave until June 1. He
declined further comment, saying the agency does not publicly discuss personnel
matters. Gade has been locked in a heated dispute with Dow about long-delayed
plans to clean up dioxin-saturated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles
beyond its Midland, Mich., plant into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron.[2] The company reportedly tried to get EPA
officials in Washington to intervene. A spokesman for the agency in Washington
said only that Gade is on leave until her June 1 departure.[3]
Jonathan Shradar, an EPA spokesman in
Washington, told the Tribune Gade had been placed on administrative leave until
June 1, but declined further comment.[1]
Gade is a former corporate attorney who led the Illinois
EPA under Republican Gov. Jim Edgar. President Bush appointed her in
2006 to head the federal agency's Region 5, which covers the states of Illinois,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. [1] Mary Gade, who was appointed by President Bush
in 2006, had been tussling with Dow over plans to get the company to clean up
extensive dioxin pollution that it dumped into Michigan waterways for decades.[5]
The levels in one Saginaw yard were nearly six times
higher than the federal cleanup standard, and 65 times higher than what Michigan
considers acceptable. Gade said of her resignation: "There's no question this is
about Dow.[2] Concerns about dioxin contamination were behind
two of the most infamous environmental disasters in U.S. history: the
evacuations of the Love Canal neighborhood in upstate New York and the entire
town of Times Beach, Mo. But in the Saginaw area, cleanup remains stalled,
mainly because Dow asserts the contamination does not threaten people or
wildlife. "There is all of this mystique about dioxin," said John Musser, a Dow
spokesman. "Just because it's there doesn't mean there is an imminent health
threat."[2] Dow has acknowledged the plant polluted the
watershed for decades with dioxins -- chemical byproducts that may cause cancer.
The EPA in October ordered Dow to develop a plan that showed its willingness to
clean up contamination near the Midland, Michigan, plant.[6] Lana Pollack, president of the Michigan
Environmental Council, said that Dow and the EPA had "succeeded in muzzling a
woman of unquestioned credentials and integrity who was doing her job enforcing
our environmental laws."[4]
When high levels of dioxin were found in fish from Saginaw
Bay around the same time, Dow repeatedly claimed it wasn't responsible, saying
the chemical had settled into the water from air pollution caused by forest
fires and wood-burning fireplaces. [2]
administrator in the Midwest resigned Thursday amid internal fights over dioxin
contamination near Dow Chemical Co.' s world headquarters in Michigan, according
to a published report. Mary Gade, regional administrator of EPA
Region 5, told the Chicago Tribune she resigned as regional administrator of EPA
Region 5 after two top EPA officials stripped her of her powers and told her to
quit or be fired by June 1. "There is no question this is about Dow," Gade told
the paper for a story on its Web site. [1] SAGINAW, Mich. - The battle over dioxin
contamination in this economically stressed region had been raging for years
when a top Bush administration official turned up the pressure on Dow Chemical
to clean it up. Following months of internal bickering over Mary Gade's
interactions with Dow, the administration forced her to quit as head of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's Midwest office, based in Chicago. Gade told
the Tribune she resigned after two aides to national EPA administrator Stephen
Johnson took away her powers as regional administrator and told her to quit or
be fired by June 1.[2]
WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- A top U.S.
environmental official in the Midwest has resigned, telling the Chicago Tribune
Thursday she was given an ultimatum -- quit or be fired by June 1. Mary Gade,
regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, said she decided
to resign. She said two political appointees from Washington gave her her
marching orders.[3]
Mary Gade, regional administrator of
EPA Region 5, told the Chicago Tribune she resigned as regional administrator of
EPA Region 5 after two top EPA officials stripped her of her powers and told her
to quit or be fired by June 1. "There is no question this is about Dow," Gade
told the paper for a story on its Web site.[4]
Dow asked EPA headquarters to intervene
in the dispute, and top deputies to EPA chief Stephen Johnson repeatedly
questioned Gade about the case. Then she was stripped of her authority and told
to quit or be fired. "There is no question this is about Dow," Gade said.[5]
Gade, a former corporate lawyer appointed by
President George W. Bush in 2006, got involved in a dispute with Dow Chemical
last year. Using her emergency powers, she ordered Dow to clean up four dioxin
hotspots downstream from its Michigan headquarters. "There is no question this
is about Dow," Gade said.[3] Officials have taken the swings down in one
riverside park to discourage kids from playing there. Men in rubber boots and
thick gloves occasionally knock on doors, asking residents whether they can dig
up a little soil in the yard. Gade, appointed by President Bush as regional EPA
administrator in September 2006, invoked emergency powers last summer to order
the company to remove three hotspots of dioxin near its Midland headquarters.
She demanded more dredging in November, when it was revealed that dioxin levels
along a park in Saginaw were 1.6 million parts per trillion, the highest amount
ever found in the U.S. Dow then sought to cut a deal on a more comprehensive
cleanup.[2] Dow responded by appealing to officials in
Washington, according to heavily redacted letters the Tribune obtained under the
Freedom of Information Act. Regional EPA administrators typically have wide
latitude to enforce environmental laws, but in April Gade drew fire from
officials in Washington after she sent contractors to test soil in a Saginaw
neighborhood where Dow had found high dioxin levels.[2]
Dow spokesman John Musser said Gades
departure came as a surprise. He said the chemical giant would rather work with
the federal government than with Michigan officials, who have been designated by
the agency to oversee future dioxin cleanup. "Flatly, we never asked or implied
that Ms. Gade be removed from her post," Musser told The Associated Press in a
telephone call late Thursday. "We have no idea what the EPAs reason was for this
move."[4] CHICAGO -- The top U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency administrator in the Midwest resigned Thursday amid internal
fights over dioxin contamination near Dow Chemical Co.' s world headquarters in
Michigan, according to a published report.[6] The Bush administration forced out the U.S.
EPA's top Midwest regulator on Thursday, after months of contention over a
pollution case involving Dow Chemical, the Chicago
Tribune reports.[5]
Dow and government regulators have debated for months
about how to cleanse a swath of waters and wetlands that now reaches 50 miles to
Lake Huron. The company has acknowledged tainting the Tittabawassee and the
adjoining Saginaw River, their flood plains, portions of the city of Midland and
Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay with dioxins  chemical byproducts believed to cause
cancer and damage reproductive and immune systems. Associated Press Writer John
Flesher in Traverse City, Mich., contributed to this report.[1] Jonathan Shradar, an EPA spokesman in
Washington, said Gade has been placed on administrative leave until June 1. He
declined further comment, saying the agency does not publicly discuss personnel
matters. Gade has been locked in a heated dispute with Dow about long-delayed
plans to clean up dioxin-saturated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles
beyond its Midland, Mich., plant into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron.[2] The company reportedly tried to get EPA
officials in Washington to intervene. A spokesman for the agency in Washington
said only that Gade is on leave until her June 1 departure.[3]
Jonathan Shradar, an EPA spokesman in
Washington, told the Tribune Gade had been placed on administrative leave until
June 1, but declined further comment.[1]
Gade is a former corporate attorney who led the Illinois
EPA under Republican Gov. Jim Edgar. President Bush appointed her in
2006 to head the federal agency's Region 5, which covers the states of Illinois,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. [1] Mary Gade, who was appointed by President Bush
in 2006, had been tussling with Dow over plans to get the company to clean up
extensive dioxin pollution that it dumped into Michigan waterways for decades.[5]
The levels in one Saginaw yard were nearly six times
higher than the federal cleanup standard, and 65 times higher than what Michigan
considers acceptable. Gade said of her resignation: "There's no question this is
about Dow.[2] Concerns about dioxin contamination were behind
two of the most infamous environmental disasters in U.S. history: the
evacuations of the Love Canal neighborhood in upstate New York and the entire
town of Times Beach, Mo. But in the Saginaw area, cleanup remains stalled,
mainly because Dow asserts the contamination does not threaten people or
wildlife. "There is all of this mystique about dioxin," said John Musser, a Dow
spokesman. "Just because it's there doesn't mean there is an imminent health
threat."[2] Dow has acknowledged the plant polluted the
watershed for decades with dioxins -- chemical byproducts that may cause cancer.
The EPA in October ordered Dow to develop a plan that showed its willingness to
clean up contamination near the Midland, Michigan, plant.[6] Lana Pollack, president of the Michigan
Environmental Council, said that Dow and the EPA had "succeeded in muzzling a
woman of unquestioned credentials and integrity who was doing her job enforcing
our environmental laws."[4]
When high levels of dioxin were found in fish from Saginaw
Bay around the same time, Dow repeatedly claimed it wasn't responsible, saying
the chemical had settled into the water from air pollution caused by forest
fires and wood-burning fireplaces. [2]
EPA administrator for Midwest resigns
(topic overview)
CONTENTS:
- CHICAGO
(AP)  The top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator in the
Midwest resigned Thursday amid internal fights over dioxin contamination near
Dow Chemical Co.' s world headquarters in Michigan, according to a published
report. (More...) - Gade
is a former corporate attorney who led the Illinois EPA under Republican Gov.
Jim Edgar. (More...) - When
high levels of dioxin were found in fish from Saginaw Bay around the same
time, Dow repeatedly claimed it wasn't responsible, saying the chemical had
settled into the water from air pollution caused by forest fires and
wood-burning fireplaces. (More...)
SOURCES
FIND
OUT MORE ON THIS SUBJECT
SOURCES
1. The Associated Press: EPA administrator for Midwest
resigns
2. EPA official ousted while fighting Dow --
chicagotribune.com
3. EPA official quits under pressure - UPI.com
4. EPA administrator for Midwest resigns - International Herald
Tribune
5. Mary, Mary, Too
Contrary | Grist | News | 01 May 2008
6. Report: EPA administrator for Midwest resigns - NewsFlash -
mlive.
It's all too sad.