The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has revealed how insecure America has become as a result of the Bush administration attitude towards the environment. You might think a guy who likes to release photos of himself fishing and clearing brush would want to make the safety of wildlife and nature a top priority. Not so, says the truth and his record:

The purpose of this hearing is to examine the Bush Administration’s record on important public health and environmental matters. Unfortunately, instead of reviewing accomplishments—we look back on years filled with environmental rollbacks that serve special interests, and do not serve the American people.

Today, this Committee will shine a light on the Bush Administration’s efforts to undermine EPA and the Department of the Interior’s mission to protect public health and the environment.

Here is a typical example:

EPA proposed to do what it called the “CHEERS study” jointly with the chemical industry, in which low-income families were offered gifts and other incentives if they agreed to enroll their newborn children in pesticides studies in their homes over a two year period. After a great outcry, EPA cancelled the study. EPA recently tried to revive a study much like CHEERS, but retreated after our Committee’s staff asked detailed ethical questions about it, which EPA could not answer.

Apparently the administration has been gutting the agencies meant to protect the natural resources of the country, and disregarding evidence of harm to the people who live, work and play in them.

The Committee hearings are available for review in full online.