Congressional Investigations
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
On September 11, 2008, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer, abruptly cancelled hearings on sewage sludge disposal practices, scheduled for that same day. The reason EPW gave for cancelling the hearing was a leaked, confidential settlement letter which involved two of the witnesses that were to have testified, Dr. David Lewis and Andy McElmurray. Both are involved in litigation with the University of Georgia (UGA). The univeristy has been accused of knowingly providing false data used in an EPA funded study to justify the federal policy that allows the "land application" of sludge as a disposal practice.
F. Edwin Hallman, Jr., Lewis and McElmurray's lawyer in the UGA case, wrote the leaked letter. On September 12, 2008, Attorney Hallman wrote an explanation to the EPW.
Senator Boxer has assured sludge victims and others concerned about sewage sludge that the hearings will be held.
Environment and Public Works Committee – 110th Congress
| Senate Majority Committee Members | Representing |
|---|---|
| Barbara Boxer (Chairman) | CA |
| Max Baucus | MT |
| Joseph I. Lieberman | CT |
| Thomas R. Carper | DE |
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | NY |
| Frank R. Lautenberg | NJ |
| Benjamin L. Cardin | MD |
| Bernard Sanders | VT |
| Amy Klobuchar | MN |
| Sheldon Whitehouse | RI |
| Senate Minority Committee Members | Representing |
|---|---|
| James M. Inhofe | OK |
| John Warner | VA |
| George V. Voinovich | OH |
| Johnny Isakson | GA |
| David Vitter | LA |
| John Barrasso | WY |
| Larry E. Craig | ID |
| Lamar Alexander | TN |
| Christopher S. Bond | MO |
How can you get involved in the hearings?
Tell your story. Upload your testimony. It will be delivered to the EPW committee. Let the committee members know what is happening out there, in the fields and farms, gardens, parks, committee rooms, citizen meetings, and in meetings with state and local representatives.
Call your representatives. If you are from a state represented by a committee member, call him or her and say you support the sludge hearings and you want the truth told about sewage sludge.
Contact information for members of the U.S. Senate
Contact for the U.S. House of Representatives
You can also visit them in Washington, D.C. More on this as the hearing appraoches.