Former D.C. Department of the Environment Director Christophe Tulou, before his firing last month, had cautioned the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and local officials about a plan pushed by the District’s water utility and backed by Mayor Vincent C. Gray
to delay construction of one or more giant underground tunnels aimed
at reducing the flow of pollution into the city’s dirty rivers,
records show.
Citing a “breach of protocol,” city officials later announced Mr. Tulou’s firing. And while city officials have said little about the firing, D.C. City Administrator Allen Lew told department employees in a gathering just days later about a communication to EPA that “left the impression that the left hand and the right hand weren’t talking to each other.”
But according to documents and interviews, the DDOE’s comments came in response to requests for DDOE’s input on the plan from both the EPA and D.C. Water, the water utility, while three top city officials had received prior notice of the comments.
The chain of events raises additional questions about the “breach of protocol” explanation from city officials about Mr. Tulou’s firing, but sheds light on transparency, timing and technical questions raised by DDOE about a massive and expensive plan to clean up the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and Rock Creek.
Citing a “breach of protocol,” city officials later announced Mr. Tulou’s firing. And while city officials have said little about the firing, D.C. City Administrator Allen Lew told department employees in a gathering just days later about a communication to EPA that “left the impression that the left hand and the right hand weren’t talking to each other.”
But according to documents and interviews, the DDOE’s comments came in response to requests for DDOE’s input on the plan from both the EPA and D.C. Water, the water utility, while three top city officials had received prior notice of the comments.
The chain of events raises additional questions about the “breach of protocol” explanation from city officials about Mr. Tulou’s firing, but sheds light on transparency, timing and technical questions raised by DDOE about a massive and expensive plan to clean up the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and Rock Creek.
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