Paul Ryan wants to weaken EPA restrictions because of zika virus

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republicans-response-the-zika-threat-takes-offensive-turn

It was at this point that the House Republicans’ response to the Zika threat made the transition from reckless to offensive. The Huffington Post highlighted the most glaring problem with the GOP’s plan:

While eliminating the clean water protections would make life easier for mosquito sprayers in some respects, environmental advocates say the restrictions on spraying are entirely irrelevant to a potential Zika outbreak for several reasons.

First among them is that if one particular pesticide has polluted a certain lake or stream, there are other options, said Mae Wu, a policy expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council…. On top of that, the clean water regulations apply only to areas larger than 6,400 acres. And if there is an outbreak, the rules specify that mosquito control authorities can act immediately, and get any needed permits after the fact.

The New York Times added that exceptions to EPA regulations “already exist for emergency situations like fighting Zika.”