EPA Administrator Urges Cooperation Among Governments in Wake of Hurricanes
December 8, 2005
CHICAGO - Federal, state and local governments must work together to nurse the Gulf States' environment back to health, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson told state legislators and legislative staff on Thursday at the National Conference of State Legislatures' Fall Forum.
"Collaboration is key in the early response, and it's key to the restoration," Johnson said. He listed lessons his organization learned from the hurricanes of 2005.
He clarified the EPA's role in disaster response. Declaring areas safe is not under its purview, Johnson said. Though EPA gives environmental and technical information so that local officials can decide, it does not determine whether buildings are safe, and whether water, sewer, electricity and food are available.
Governments and government agencies should consider logistics for staff before disasters occur, Johnson said. Figure out where they'll sleep and what they'll eat. EPA had mechanisms in place to enter into contracts for necessities immediately once staff arrived in Louisiana, Johnson said. And that proved beneficial. The organization was the first to have boats. It planned to use them for testing, but EPA staff ended up using them to rescue more than 800 people from the flood waters.
Rescues aren't typically the EPA's job, but after hurricanes Katrina and Rita they became an essential additional assignment. Agency staff were in the Gulf States primarily to monitor flood waters, sediment, hazardous waste, air quality and the 54 Superfund sites the hurricanes hit. Many staff members are still there, assisting in clean-up efforts. There are 350,000 abandoned vehicles strewn across Louisiana and 1.5 million refrigerators to be recycled, in addition to construction and natural debris.
"Our response to the hurricanes is far from over," Johnson said.
EPA is one of many federal agencies President Bush has asked to put together a report on what worked and what didn't work in the aftermath of these natural disasters, Johnson told legislators.
New York Senator Michael Balboni, who co-chairs NCSL's Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, asked Johnson to inform the task force of the findings as soon as he is able. "We need to get a snapshot of best practices," Balboni said.
Environmental policy is an important part of emergency preparedness, added Senator Massachusetts Senator Richard Moore, fellow task force co-chair. "It's certainly key to a lot of the issues," Moore said. "States and local governments have allowed building in areas that aren't the best to build on." He added that governments should examine zoning, planning and wetlands protection in the wake of the hurricanes.
NCSL is the bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.
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