ID:

130

Date:

2005-01-26

Headline:

Public Often Unaware of Nearby Dangerous Chemicals

Reporter's name:

S. Heather Duncan

Delay/denial:

Yes

Lawsuit:

No

Fees:

No

Media outlet:

The Macon Telegraph

City:

Macon, GA

Summary:

The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph, in a report about the public's frequent unawareness of the presence of dangerous chemicals in their neighborhoods, found that the Environmental Protection Agency refused to provide even redacted copies of risk management plan summaries for five counties in and around Macon. The newspaper requested the summaries under FOIA and the EPA acknowledged they are public, but refused to release them because they contain information about worst-case scenarios. Bush administration executive orders allow further secrecy: The EPA administrator can now classify documents, making them unavailable to the public. And access to almost any information can be limited by placing it in a vague new "sensitive but unclassified" category.

Keywords:

chemical; spill; risk management plans

Agencies:

EPA
GAO

States:

GA

Categories:

environment