Barbara Boxer threatened yesterday to oppose Stephen Johnson's nomination to EPA administrator. Boxer's ire was raised by Johnson's refusal to cancel a hairbrained scheme to spray homes of low income kids in Jacksonville, Florida with pesticides, to document how the poisons affect the development of the children.
Parents of 9-12 month olds are offered $900 and a videocamera if they will agree to participate in the project for two years. If they don't spray their homes with poison for the full two years, they don't get to keep the videocamera.
Christine Todd Whitman withdrew the original program, but the Agency put it on the back burner. Boxer wants it canceled completely.
Johnson however, appeared to have no objections to the study, and considered it all just a PR problem. He wants to keep the matter open for discussion.
BTW, the study is partially funded by the chemical industry.