I'm not sure what that guy means by "yanked off the web", but the press release is easy enough to find at NASA's Dryden center: http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewsReleases/1999/99-01.html. The relevant paragraph does mention the EPA:

The experiment was part of an effort to determine why small particles of spray-on foam insulation flaked off of the inter-tank section of the external fuel tank on Space Shuttle mission STS-87 as the Shuttle ascended. The new lightweight insulation material was developed to comply with an EPA mandate to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals released into the atmosphere. Although such flaking or erosion of the insulation off the external tank posed no safety hazard to the Shuttle or its crew, engineers wanted to determine its cause to prevent future maintenance and operational problems.

Photos are available too here