Internal emails show EPA working to limit agency's use of science
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) political staffers have been working to internally replicate through agency action a bill that would restrict the kind of science that the EPA can use when writing regulations, internal emails show.
EPA head Scott Pruitt met with Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science Committee, on Jan. 9, according to a copy of Pruitt’s public schedule.
Smith for years has been pushing to restrict the type of scientific findings accepted by the EPA. His repeatedly sponsored bill, now called the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment — or HONEST — Act, would mandate all scientific data and findings be made publicly available before they are used to justify agency regulations. Opponents of the idea say that it would exclude a number of public health studies.
Newly released emails show that Pruitt and his staff are working to essentially replicate Smith’s proposal, and spent a majority of February working to finalize the policy.
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A representative for UCS said the emails confirm EPA’s push to restrict science.
“The biggest takeaway was the policy to restrict the use of science that has been floated around, but not officially confirmed — hatched by political appointees doing their best to make sure independent scientific analysis does not get in their way,” said Yogin Kothari, senior Washington representative at UCS.
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More: http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/384039-internal-emails-show-epa-working-to-limit-agencys-use-of-science
