Multiyear setbacks in completing certain EPA chemical analyses are delaying needed health protections, a federal watchdog report said Tuesday.
But top House and Senate Democrats say the blame lies squarely on “political interference” by Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency’s former administrator, and outgoing Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
The EPA didn’t immediately respond to the Democrats’ allegations, and it rejected many of report’s recommendations.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report describing problems within the EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System, or IRIS program. The result, it said, is that the program takes years to release few chemical assessments.
IRIS’ assessments ...