We also have to ask if we are focusing on the most important priorities. For example, Superfund imposes extremely stringent standards for cleaning up lead in groundwater. Now, this is a good rule in many cases, because lead can be very toxic to children. The problem is that we may be overlooking more direct threats to children from lead. For example, lead paint in old houses can be a greater threat to children's health than lead that may be under some industrial site where there are no children.
Nobody wants to open a business near a Superfund site and risk being sued.
No wonder our inner cities are starved for jobs. Virtually every serious student of the regulatory process agrees we can do better. One study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis found that if agencies simply set their priorities in a smarter way, we could save an additional 60,000 lives per year at no additional cost. Mr. President, we don't have a moment to lose when we could save more lives. We can set aside partisan politics, and we all can agree this is the right thing to do.