Law Department notice on WTC document preservation, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

The extent of the CEQ official’s influence on EPA’s WTC press releases was most clearly illustrated by the changes that were made to a draft press release dated September 14, 2001, that was issued on September 16,2001. Every change that was suggested by the CEQ contact was made. The CEQ official’s suggested changes added reassuring statements and deleted cautionary statements.

Details on these various revisions based on the CEQ contact’s input, including comparisons of draft and issued versions, are in Table 2-4, while the actual press release is in Appendix G. It should be noted that our analysis of CEQ’s input was limited because CEQ officials chose not to meet with us. Details on this limitation are in Appendix B.

Table 2-4: Impact of CEQ Instruction on September 16 EPA Press Release

__________________Statement Deleted From the Draft and Not Replaced__________________ The concern raised by these samples would be for the workers at the cleanup site and for those workers who might be returning to their offices on or near Water Street on Monday, September 17, 2001. Statements Significantly Revised Draft Press Release Issued Press Release Recent samples of dust gathered by The new samples confirm previous reports that ambient air OSHA on Water Street show higher quality meets OSHA standards and consequently is not a levels of asbestos in EPA tests. cause for public concern. New OSHA data also indicates that indoor air quality in downtown buildings will meet standards. EPA has found variable asbestos levels in bulk debris and dust on the ground, but EPA continue [sic] to believe that there is no significant health risk to the general public in the cx)ming days. Appropriate steps are being taken to clean up this dust and debris. Seven debris and dust samples Debris samples collected outside buildings on cars and other taken Thursday, showed levels of surfaces contained small percentages of asbestors, [sic] asbestos ranging from 2.1 percent to ranging from 2.1 to 3.3 - slightly above the 1 percent trigger 3.3 percent. EPA views a 1 percent for defining asbestos material. level of asbestos as the definition for asbestos-ojntaining material. Statements Added to the Issued Press Release Based on CEQ Instructions CEQ Instructions Statements Added to Issued Press Release “Add sentence about OSHA monitors OSHA staff walked through New York’s financial district on walking the streets yesterday and September 13'", wearing personal air monitors and collected wearing personal monitors and data on potential asbestos exposure levels. Ail but two coming up clean." samples contained no asbestos. Two samples contained very low levels of an unknown fiber, which is still being analyzed. “INSERT HENSHAW quote “Our tests show that it is safe for New Yorkers to go back to somewhere around here" work in New York’s financial district,’’ said John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA._________________ “Add OSHA indoor air sampling data Air Samples taken on Sept. 13'" inside buildings in New York’s sentence." financial district were negative for asbestos.

16 Report No. 2003-P-00012

NYC-WTC_000145371