EPA Region II letterhead fragment, date unknown

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document I

EPA found that the clean-up techniques of wet mopping, wet wiping and HEPA vacuuming were successful in achieving health based benchmarks for WTC contaminants of potential concern, EPA also found that asbestos I in air was a reasonable surrogate for achieving health benchmarks for I other contaminants.

• EPA, FEMA and OSHA have coordinated throughout the indoor clean-up program, ana ubHA has agreed to investigate any complaints by workers in commercial establishments of dust exposure problems. EPA focused I on*a cleanup program for residences. * With respect to other elements of the IG report, virtually every one of the recommendations contained in the IG's report had already been identified and changes begun well before the report was written. In fact. Administrator Whitman went to great lengths to evaluate the decision-making during the response and to put systems In place to improve our preparedness in the future. The IG report was completed long after this “lessons learned" exercise, and Is I not as comprehensive an effort. While our report on lessons learned pointed out what things were done well and what improvements were needed, the IG report, published much later and addressing a much narrower subject area, followed a theme of failure, ignoring all of the efforts of so many people who were working to better protect the people of New York. It is unfortunate that the IG report was focused so narrowly and created the misimpression that the people were not served well by their government.

With regard to your request for documents and a list of names of people that may have reviewed documents, let me assure you that it is normal and proper for EPA to request and receive comments on documents that involve other Agencies. I Indeed, one of the key lessons learned is the need for centralized communications during times of national crisis. All content of any press materials I I was decided by the Agency, with some edits taken in the process. No lists are I I kept of all participants in the review process, nor am I aware of records that were not made available to the IG. Therefore, there are no records that are I responsive to your request

Again, EPA employees stood shoulder to shoulder with responders and our local I State and Federal partners. Collectively, at a time of great uncertainty, we I worked toward our common goal of protecting the people of Lower Manhattan. i As we look back at that awful time, as we review and reflect on what we did and I how we acted, we should never allow the length of the intervening months and I years to dull the reality of what it was like to function on that horrible day and in I the days after. I I I I I \\ I I I 4 I I

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