LaVelle, R

<p>In the next five weeks, the storm intensified. In mid-February Reagan fired Rita Lavelle, then assistant administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response and one of the key figures in Superfund implementation. Materials indicating criminal wrongdoing on her part, including committing perjury before Congress, were sent to the Justice Department, which was beginning its own investigation of EPA. A few weeks later, Burford resigned, and the documents were released. At least rhetorically, President Reagan defendant her to the end and beyond. During a press conference two days after her resignation, he said the people impugning the former administrator were interested in partisan attacks and not real wrongdoing or environmental concerns. He added, "And, frankly, I wonder how they manage to look at themselves in the mirror in the morning.'

Punch and Judy

To many of those closest to the fray, it was evident that the popular understanding of the controversy--that Burford and her minions were the villains in this morality play--was incomplete. There were hints along the way that indicated as much. Significantly, Burford had made several remarks in the last few months of the scandal indicating that she opposed the withholding of the documents.

The behavior of the Justice Department throughout the affair raised a number of questions. The counsel given to Burford and EPA aroused much curiosity, as did the department's unwillingness to fulfill its constitutional duty to prosecute the contempt citation. Finally, and perhaps most important of all, the released documents did indicate wrongdoing at EPA-- exactly what the Justice Department, White House, and EPA had strenuously denied all along. Many of the documents were simply trivial; none pertained to criminal enforcement of the Superfund program. Several of them, however, gave evidence that Superfund money was being granted or held up for political purposes. If a Republican incumbent was running for reelection, a cleanup might begin with remarkable speed. If a Democrat stood to benefit from the allocation of funds, the process suddenly became arthritic. Since the Justice Department had taken an active part in the frustrating of Congress and should have known about the contents of the papers, an account of its role in the affair was clearly needed. Requests for an investigation from several congressmen to the House Judiciary Committee began the process almost three years ago.</p>

<p>

<a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_v17/ai_4080006/">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_v17/ai_4080006/</a></p>