Public health advocates and some Congress members are now mobilizing to kill the rider, which they say is likely illegal because it pre-empts the Clean Water Act. The attempt to kill the risk assessment is “absolutely insane,” said Kyla Bennett, a former EPA attorney who is now science director for the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility nonprofit.
“Who knows what they’re going to do,” Bennett added. “This is the anti-science administration, and not only do they not give a whit about science, they don’t give a whit about human health.”