Henderson, whose tenure on the board ended this fall, praised Johnson's ruling, calling it a tough new standard.
Yet in the days after his ruling, Johnson's legacy was tarnished again after it was revealed that, under pressure from the White House, there would be certain exemptions to the new lead rule:
Two hundred of the 350 plants - those that emit between a half-ton and one ton of lead a year - would go unmonitored.
Johnson is fond of saying that he set the toughest air-quality standards to date.
Henderson and other members concede that they are tougher, but not as strong as the science demands.
After 40 years studying the damage caused by air pollution, Henderson knows as well as anyone that science is fraught with uncertainty, and that answers are not always clear-cut. But when human health is at stake, she feels, there is one certainty: Science has an obligation to protect the public as best it knows how. The law requires it.
"When I came on, I thought we could establish the best possible standards to protect public health," she said. "In the end, I found that he was totally loyal to his boss. That was disappointing to me."
Contact staff writer John Sullivan at 215-854-2473 or johnsullivan@phillynews.com.
