The EPA has a reputation as a liberal, green agency working towards conserving our natural resources. But how true is this assumption?
Author E.G. Vallianatos worked for twenty-five years at the EPA, which he says he loves, but is not afraid to criticize. In his book Poison Spring, Vallianatos asks if the EPA shouldn’t be renamed the “Polluter Protection Agency.” Due to scientific evidence indicating high rates of pollution in today’s world, that criticism raises important questions.
After early success banning DDT despite industry complaints, the EPA has faltered. Instead of catering to the people and environment it aims to defend, the agency has become a friend to corporations and politicians. Poisons, pollution, and chemicals have seeped into our foods and backyards as a result. Vallianatos explains how the agency has changed into the organization it is today and how we have gone from minimizing toxins to living surrounded by them.
Is it time for a performance review of the EPA?
Guest:
- E.G. Vallianatos, author of Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA