President Bush Guilty of Hypocrisy on Chemical Security

Tight security measures were in place in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, as President Bush, the U.S. Congress, Cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, and other VIPs gathered on Capitol Hill for this year's State of the Union address. These measures apparently included a temporary prohibition on the transport of hazardous chemicals through Capitol Hill.

Today Greenpeace sent a letter to President Bush, accusing him of hypocrisy and negligence for failing to take action on the issue of chemical security. Also today, the Wall Street Journal featured a front-page expose of the vulnerability of hazardous chemical shipments travelling on the nation's rail system. Greenpeace worked closely with the Journal on its story.

"It is hypocritical of you [President Bush] to divert chemical shipments only during 'VIP' events, while leaving so many citizens at risk on a daily basis," said Greenpeace Executive Director John Passacantando in the letter. "Your administration has also been irresponsible in failing to prevent these rolling weapons of mass destruction from passing through U.S. cities every day. Instead, your administration has embraced the chemical industry's position, which is opposed to prevention policies."

In its letter, Greenpeace urges the President impose a permanent ban on hazardous chemical shipments through cities and to support bipartisan legislation before the District of Columbia City Council that would prohibit the transport of such shipments through Washington, D.C. Similar letters were also sent to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Transportation Security Agency, Amtrak, the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Maryland Department of Transportation and Virginia Railway Express. The D.C. City Council will hold a hearing on the bill today at 2:00 p.m. in the Wilson Building.

"Even before the terrorist attacks of September 11, we were urging President Bush to address the threat posed by the use and transport of toxic chemicals," said Rick Hind, Toxics Campaign Legislative Director for Greenpeace. "An accident or deliberate attack involving a 90-ton rail car of chlorine could kill thousands of Americans in minutes. With safer substitutes readily available and alternate shipping routes around population centers, it is unconscionable that this administration has done nothing."