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add SEJ material from spin and ref
It could play out as a reason, or an excuse, or a justification, for demolishing parts of the city for complete rebuilding; or it could play out as a covered up story in order to rebuild quickly without clean-up, as was [[9/11#Environmental_Effects|the case after the World Trade Center destruction in 2001]].
In mid-September 2005 the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) criticized the government's "tight-lipped approach" in responding to requests for information about the toxic gumbo left by Hurricane Katrina. SEJ President Perry Beeman says the government is "denying the public crucial information collected with taxpayers' money on behalf of taxpayers in the first place. ... What we need to know is what exactly is in the water. Which bacteria and how much? Which gasoline and oil constituents and how much? Which carcinogens? Which pathogens? Americans need to know what specific threats exist and what the government is doing about them. They are paying for the raw data, and they deserve to see it." SEJ has prepared a timeline showing how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has responded to reporters' requests, as well as a new report on environmental reporters' experiences with the Freedom of Information Act. [http://www.sej.org/foia/fallout.htm#091505]
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*Brad Knickerbocker, [http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0915/p02s01-sten.html "Katrina lays bare Superfund woes. Concern rises that storm may have compromised cleanup of toxic sites around New Orleans - and created new ones,"] ''Christian Science Monitor'', September 15, 2005.
*Randy Lee Loftis, [http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWL091505environmental.5dd0ea79.html "Oil spills after Katrina rival Exxon Valdez,"] ''Dallas Morning News'' (WWLTV.com), September 15, 2005.
*Society of Environmental Journalists, "[http://www.sej.org/foia/fallout.htm#091505 SEJ and EPA/Katrina: The search for public information — a timeline]", September 15, 2005
*John Heilprin, [http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/12668392.htm "Fuel oils in sediment in New Orleans,"] Associated Press (''Times Leader''), September 16, 2005: "A new health risk emerged Friday from the sediment of New Orleans - test results showing that diesel and fuel oils, which can take years to break down, make up as much as a 10th of the weight of some sediment samples."
*Nicole Makris, [http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/25552/ "Neck Deep in Toxic Gumbo,"] ''AlterNet'', September 16, 2005: "Water quality in New Orleans -- and throughout the South -- has been deplorable for years. In Katrina's wake it just got dramatically worse."
