It is far too early to make any final assessment of what has been happening at the Environmental Protection Agency these past few weeks. The resignation of Administrator Anne Burford and the firing of other senior agency officials are only the outward manifestations of the bigger issue of this Administration's attitude toward the environment. Charges and counter-charges of cynical political opportunism, of a circuslike approach by Congress, of the placing of political expediency above principle, of inappropriate legal advice to the President and the agency, of the dark influence of environmental extremists and of a scare-mongering and rapacious press, of perjury, of conflict of interest, of undue industrial influence, of mismanagement, of politically motivated manipulation of the Superfund program, of hit lists, and of the shredding of documents will all take a long time to sort out. But at least one thing seems reasonably certain. As far as the public is concerned ...