Clearing the Air at EPA

Ruckelshaus faces hard choices on the environment

It was a tawdry reprise of an old scandal. In a Washington courtroom where former Environmental Protection Agency Official Rita Lavelle stood trial for perjury last week, the familiar charges of conflict of interest and political manipulation flew once again. Former aides told how Lavelle had wept while they hastily removed whole briefcases of sensitive documents. Yet for all the melodrama, the accusations seemed almost irrelevant, an old story relegated to the back pages. Since the scandal climaxed last spring with the firing or resignation of the EPA's top echelon, the agency has been seemingly...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!