Trump’s Parting Jab at San Francisco Puts EPA In Uncharted Water
- President says EPA to sanction city over needles, homelessness
- City blasts ‘ridiculous’ claim, says needles don’t reach water
Donald Trump boards Air Force One in San Diego, Calif. on Sept. 18.
Photographer: Evan Vucci/APThis article is for subscribers only.
Donald Trump’s assertion that San Francisco had committed environmental violations by allowing trash from its homeless population to enter the ocean outraged California lawmakers, was ridiculed by former EPA officials and may have even taken the agency by surprise.
The president, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One late Wednesday, said the Environmental Protection Agency would soon issue a notice of violation to San Francisco over pollution generated by homeless people, including “needles.” He provided no substantiation for the claim, and there have been no recent media reports on unusual pollution in the waters surrounding the city.