Midwest EPA Official Ousted for Fighting to Protect People and Wildlife

The Chicago Tribune ran this story late last week of Mary Gade, the regional administrator for the  midwest for the US Environmental Protection Agency, detailing how she was forced out of her position because of her willingness to take on manufacturing giant Dow Chemical.  Gade has been rightfully tough on Dow for dumping chemicals leading to high levesl of Dioxin, which has been linked to cancer, infertility, and other serious illnesses and death, in areas as far as 50 miles from their Midland, MI plant.  The concentrations in some areas are thousands of times higher than the amounts the federal government requires to be cleaned up.  She has been fighting this battle with Dow to clean up there mess, while they have been maneuvering politically to avoid any costly cleanup. 

It is a sad state when a person is forced out because she is doing what is required by law and human decency. 

CJ&D recently released a white paper, Corporate Empowerment and the Decline of Public Safety, which looks at how the corporate take-over of federal agencies, including the EPA, and preemption of legal rights has hurt the public health and safety. (Membership required)