Seeking to draw clear lines between himself and a field of Republican presidential hopefuls who have been openly hostile to environmental regulations -- and to shore up his own image among his environmental base -- President Barack Obama told a vocally appreciative gathering of Environmental Protection Agency employees Tuesday that they have his thanks and support.
"The EPA touches on the lives of every single American every single day," Obama said. "You help make sure that the air we breathe, the water we drink and the foods we eat are safe. You protect the environment not just for our children, but for their children."
...speaking Tuesday, Obama told EPA employees that he remains committed to sensible environmental regulation. And he praised the agency's accomplishments over the last 40 years, noting that those who would do away with the EPA forget what life was like before it. The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, the president noted, was so polluted with industrial toxins, that it literally -- and famously -- caught fire in the year before the establishment of the EPA.
On the Chicago River in his own hometown: "You probably could not find anything alive in there, four decades ago," Obama said. "Now, it's thriving."
