News In Brief

EPA chief challenges Democrats on charges

Environmental Protection Agency chief William Ruckelshaus responded Wednesday to Democratic charges that some EPA officials are in the pockets of industry by saying: ''Give me the names and I'll can them.''

Mr. Ruckelshaus, who came back to clean up the agency he had founded after it became the arena of a number of administrative scandals, has dismissed or transferred about 25 top EPA officials since taking over last year.