EPA environmental cleanup

Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency work in the trenches of an increasingly

They've had some stunning victories. EPA scientists played a major role in getting the lead out of gasoline and paint, an action that led to a dramatic decline of that brain-damaging poison in the blood of inner city children. EPA researchers also helped clear killer air pollution in such industrial cities as Pittsburgh and Chattanooga. And their work backed regulations that led to dramatic cleanups of rivers and beaches that were once fouled by industrial wastes.

But things can go awry on the path from research to rules. Regulations get crafted that cost industries billions-or rules don't get written at all, dangerous chemicals get dumped and people get sick. For example, Congress and EPA are still trying to figure out how to get out of the MTBE mess. MTBE-- methyl tertiary butyl ether-is a chemical added to gasoline as part of an EPA-mandated program for reducing air pollution. EPA launched the program in 1992, despite warnings by its own scientists that MTBE would contaminate water supplies while doing less than expected to clean the air. The scientists later were proved right: MTBE has contaminated waterways and ground water in 30 states, including more than 10,000 wells in California. So EPA has spent more than $2 million on additional scientific studies of the impact of MTBE-oxygenated fuels. All of these studies have been deficient, according to a review by the National Academy of Sciences. In the meantime, MTBE continues to be a problem.