Christine Todd Whitman, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is refusing to testify before Congress about the government”s handling of air quality in New York following the 9/11 attacks. A week after the attacks, Whitman claimed that air-monitoring tests at ground zero showed the air was safe to breathe. Later the EPA’s own inspector general determined that Whitman’s comments were misleading. Thousands of rescue workers, firefighters and downtown residents have since developed severe respiratory problems after being exposed to dust and toxic material.