A Message From the President Everyone Should Read

Former EPA chief Christie Todd Whitman has been taking the heat for lying about the safety of the air quality at Ground Zero—as she should. Many people, first responders, firemen and cops, are already sick, and who knows how many more men, women and children in New York will find themselves eventually ailing from the toxic cloud which scientists have characterized as the "worst environmental disaster since Bopal"?

But let us not forget who authorized Ms. Whitman to lie: our president, George W. Bush. See the executive order below, dated May 6, 2002 (which you can also find online at www.fas.org/sgp/bush/epaorder.html):

Federal Register: May 9, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 90)
Presidential Documents
Page 31109

Order of May 6, 2002

Designation Under Executive Order 12958

In accordance with the provisions of section 1.4 of Executive Order 12958 of April 17, 1995, entitled "Classified National Security Information," I hereby designate the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to classify information originally as "Secret."

Any delegation of this authority shall be in accordance with section 1.4(c) of Executive Order 12958.

This order shall be published in the Federal Register.

[signed:] George W. Bush

THE WHITE HOUSE,

May 6, 2002.

In plain English, the president's order enabled Whitman to "classify information" about the true quality of the air at Ground Zero, of which she was well aware, as "secret"—a.k.a. to lie.

I originally became aware of the order in an article, dated July 28, 2006, from no less public a publication the Daily News; and yet, President Bush continues to escape criticism for what is ultimately his responsibility: the 9/11-related diseases and deaths of countless New Yorkers and others.

When will our government come to their, and our, aid? Those already sick desperately need care; and those exposed—which frankly could be any one of us—need testing and monitoring for years to come.

From the Daily News:

'Secret' 9/11 lies?

2002 exec order let EPA bury info on air hazards

BY CORKY SIEMASZKO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

With New Yorkers already fuming about reports that the feds downplayed the danger of Ground Zero dust, the White House gave EPA chief Christie Whitman the power to bury embarrassing documents by classifying them "secret."

"I hereby designate the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to classify information originally as 'Secret,'" states the executive order, which was signed by President Bush on May 6, 2002.

Although the stated reason for Bush's directive is to keep "national security information" from falling into enemy hands, advocates for thousands of ailing Ground Zero heroes are convinced there's a more sinister motive.

"I think the rationale behind this was to not let people know what they were potentially exposed to," said Joel Kupferman of the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project. "They're using the secrecy thing to cover up their malfeasance and past deceptions."

In a series of damning editorials, the Daily News has taken the EPA and Whitman to task for downplaying the dangers posed by toxic air and accused Mayor Bloomberg and city officials of stiffing 12,000 ailing Ground Zero workers.

Bloomberg has promised to look into the claims of the sick cops, firefighters and other Ground Zero heroes. But he has refused to acknowledge that the deaths of at least four first responders - and the illnesses of thousands more - were directly related to their toiling in The Pit.

Whitman, who resigned as EPA chief in May 2003, could not be reached for comment yesterday. In a Newsweek interview that year, she said the White House never told her to lie about the air quality.

However, Whitman conceded that she did not object when words of caution were edited out of her public statements.

"We didn't want to scare people," she said.

Asked last night about the executive order, a White House spokeswoman said she would have a response today.

Two days after the Sept. 11 attacks, Whitman declared, "There appear to be no significant levels of asbestos dust in the air in New York City." Then on Sept. 21, Whitman reported that "a host of potential contaminants are either not detectable" or at a level the EPA considered safe.

But on Oct. 26, 2001, the Daily News slapped "Toxic Zone" on the front page and warned that "toxic chemicals and metals" were poisoning lower Manhattan.

Mike McCormick, the medic who found the now-famous tattered Ground Zero flag - and who suffers from a host of respiratory problems - said he never believed the EPA's claims.