Mercury poisoning

Lynn Bonner at the N&O does a pretty good write-up of behind-the-scenes plotting by Titan officials to avoid SEPA review:

In a July 22, 2008, e-mail to economic development officials and Merritt, Marino Papazoglou, director of business development for Titan, wanted to know "why we were not made aware of the link between SEPA and incentives" and whether they could approach environmental assistant secretary Robin Smith for help.

Merritt replied via e-mail that he planned to call then-Commerce Secretary Jim Fain about it. "Please, no one make contact on this matter until you hear back from me," Merritt wrote.

With the possible exception of the Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency has seen its effectiveness, credibility and mission wither more than any other Executive arm during the administrative nightmare of the last eight years. Respected environmental experts and scientists have seen their findings and recommendations marginalized, edited or downright ignored. In cases where the data was simply too strong to ignore, the Bush administration took the back-door route by concurring, and then selecting wide swaths of industry to be exempted from any corrective actions resulting from said studies.