Bush Appointee Could Endanger Public Health

WASHINGTON (April 4, 2007) – A radical reactionary who believes in allowing arsenic in drinking water and that smog is actually beneficial because it can protect people from sunburn has been appointed by President Bush to the position of administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). OIRA is little known to the public, but has enormous power to weaken, delay and eliminate hard-won regulations designed to protect the public in the workplace, on the road and at home, according to public health and policy experts at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

 

Because of her views that favor business over public protections, the nomination of Susan Dudley to this important post was rightly controversial, according to policy experts at NRDC. The U.S. Senate is entitled to provide advice and consent on nominees for government posts, and had planned a hearing to examine Dudley’s record and qualifications. But now the recess appointment will circumvent this process, and the senators who would have questioned Dudley’s objectivity have been shut out of the public process and there will be no airing of the issues.

 

The following is a statement by NRDC’s Director of Programs Wesley Warren:

 

The Bush administration’s appointment of Susan Dudley as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs presents another threat to the federal government’s ability to safeguard Americans and hold industry responsible for its actions.

 

Appointing her during recess is a blatant disregard for a fair and open process, which the American people deserve.

 

Dudley’s own writings show she has a history as an enemy of regulation and her belief that cost-savings for industry outweighs protecting the public.

 

For instance, Dudley has opposed standards that help consumers avoid wasting expensive energy, and she says that lifesaving air bags in cars are not worth the cost. Her views have been disproved. She’s out of touch with America.