ABOUT

Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Enviroblog is a project of EWG Action Fund.

Read about our authors.

FEED

 Subscribe in a Reader

Subscribe by Email

An EWG podcast for environmental health news on the go.

TWITTER UPDATES

TIPS

Did we miss something? Email Enviroblg.

BLOGROLL

STAY CONNECTED

Get our monthly eNewsletter, action alerts, & environmental tips. [Privacy policy, About EWG]

Consumers to FDA: Be there or be square

Relax, it's baby safety month

Toxic cosmetics in teenage girls

FEATURED

Elected officials MIA; Instead Wal-Mart and Burger King protecting your health

Back to school: Are we ready? Are we non-toxic?

Fire retardants: Disproportionate risk to small children

Lead: Celebrate its ban, but don't cross it off your list

Cheatsheet: Bisphenol A

7 ways to reduce your exposure to PBDEs

Ask EWG

What can I do about fluoride in my water?

What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?

What is "fragrance"?

Which infant formula is best?

Are stainless steel water bottles safe?

Is mineral-based makeup safer?

SEARCH

ARCHIVE

select month September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004

« Mowing down emissions | Main | Women's health conference in Pittsburgh »

If you break it, you should pay for it

By Alex Formuzis

I wonder what would happen Congress decided it was high time corporate polluters and not the taxpayers should once again pick up the tab for cleaning up the messes they made at the thousands of Superfund sites across the country?

The White House almost never misses an opportunity to call for policies that allow the American taxpayer to keep more of his or her paycheck. But, when the Bush administration looked around for some good ideas on how to achieve this, reinstating the “Polluter Pays” tax on the industries responsible for the environmentally hazardous sites wasn’t even mentioned.

The Republican-controlled Congress let the fee on corporate polluters expire back in 1995, and since then all the money in Superfund has been spent, forcing taxpayers to pay the entire bill. Now that power has changed hands in Congress, Democrats and moderate Republicans might move to reinstate the fee so the big chemical companies and large manufacturers who dumped their toxins and left behind dangerous chemicals that have left millions of families exposed are once again forced to pay for their cleanup.

If Congress took action, we hope President Bush would put the public’s health ahead of the financial interests of those industries that are responsible for the contamination in the first place.

« Mowing down emissions |