Congress Must Exercise Oversight of EPA & DoD

The U.S. Army made some surprising assertions at the meeting last night. One was that the waste being "treated" in the two hazardous waste incinerators is not "hazardous waste." The second was that if the EPA inspection of 2011 found serious violations, they would have done something about it by now. On the second score, Mr.Davie is correct - the EPA ought to have taken enforcement action by now.

When I met with Senator Warner's point person on water issues in April, she was keenly interested in the EPA inspection report brought to his office along with citizen petitions requesting well testing. She did plan to follow up on the impending legal action against RAAP, although she said the citizen petitions did not warrant a reply. Clean Water Action was there to witness the entire meeting and lend support. Her response and the record of Senator Warner's "Deputy State Director" Ann Rust, sending a letter by snail mail in 2011, instructing our group never to email anyone in his office about RAAP again,  is why it's so important that Senator Mark Warner decide it's time to DO something about RAAP and the lack of EPA oversight. Senator Warner is our employee - despite the fact that so many of his aids seem to have their allegiance to DoD. Call Senator Warner to ask why he has refused to look into the EPA documented violations at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Who is he protecting  here? Whose interests does Mark Brunner represent? Call Senator Warner's office to ask that he help his constituents get the truth about violations and health risks being posed by RAAP's Open Burning Ground and send emails about it to: luke_albee@warner.senate.gov 202-224-2023. Get your concerns on the record so that Senator Warner's decision to ignore his responsibilities of oversight will be publicly available knowledge.

Then call Congressman Morgan Griffith's office and ask him to do the same thing - open an investigation into why RAAP is in violation of federal environmental laws without any action being taken by EPA. Congressman Griffith wants to hear from you - 202-225-3861. Ask both lawmakers and Senator Tim Kaine - 202-224-4024, to meet with the Spokesperson for Environmental Patriots of the New River Valley to review the EPA inspection report and take action on it. It's their job.