Where in the world is Stephen Johnson? The EPA administrator was nowhere to be found this week as official Senate investigations began into some, shall we say, interesting decisions he made during his tenure in office. 

While Johnson’s disappearing act is nothing new, it seems that no one at the EPA -- other than what Washington Post columnist Al Kamen described as “low-level ... sacrificial lambs” -- was willing to appear at the hearing.  Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock was also busy, attending a non-partisan conference that included a paddlewheel boat ride in Branson, Missouri.

Since the EPA represents the first line of defense against environmental threats to the nation, this lack of accountability should be among the first things addressed by the new president, regardless of the winner. From sewage sludge fertilizer to the inability to identify carbon emissions and other heat-trapping gasses as dangerous pollutants, the consistent inaction of the EPA during this administration has angered states and forced the Supreme Court to force its hand on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately, with only weeks left in their tenure, the leaders of the agency will likely not appear at any hearings to determine how derelict in their duty to protect their environment they have been.