Thanksgiving Is Ruined |
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August 29, 2003
Cough. From Page 17 of the (pdf) Evaluation Report, EPA's Response to the World Trade Center Collapse: Challenges, Successes, and Areas for Improvement, published by the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General: We were unable to identify any EPA official who claimed ownership of EPA's WTC press releases issued in September and early October 2001. When we asked the EPA Chief of Staff whether she could claim ownership of EPA's early WTC press releases, she replied that she was not able to do so "because the ownership was joint ownership between EPA and the White House," and that "final approval came from the White House." She also told us that other considerations, such as the desire to reopen Wall Street and national security concerns, were considered when preparing EPA's early press releases. The OCEMR [Office of Communications, Education and Media Relations] Associate Administrator said of the September 16 release: "I did not feel like it was my press release." The plume from Ground Zero went right over my home in Brooklyn. Singed paperwork from Carr Securities fluttered to my feet as I stood on my roof. |