The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the leadership of the Bush administration, has misrepresented its record of criminal enforcement and overstated its successes in cracking down on polluters, according to an investigative report by the Sacramento Bee. Specifically, the agency has:

The White House forced EPA to drop findings on global climate change from a recent draft report on the state of the environment in what’s become a pattern of politics trumping science.

An internal EPA study shows that 25 percent of major industrial facilities are in significant noncompliance with permits issued under the Clean Water Act, the majority of which receive little or no disciplinary action, according to the Washington Post.

The Bush administration recently announced its intent to loosen a Clinton-era rule that bans road construction in 58.5 million acres of national forests -- opening the door to logging in wilderness areas. Specifically, the U.S. Forest Service plans to issue an amendment allowing states to seek exemptions from the roadless rule in cases of “exceptional circumstances.” Such instances would include road construction needed “to protect public health and safety or reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical wildlife habitat,” according to the agency.