当前位置：新闻动态
EPA plans to cast a forensic eye on environmental science claims
来源： 编辑：编辑部 发布：2018/03/29 09:32:09
THE US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under new Republican management, is casting a forensic eye on scientific claims which underpin regulations and soaring regulatory compliance costs in shipping.
EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, appointed by President Donald Trump, wants to block the use of studies that do not make public the data behind the research claims, reported the New York Times.
The EPA would no longer consider scientific research unless the underlying data can be made public for other scientists and industry groups to examine, said the report.
Regulators would find themselves restricted from using the most forceful environmental claims, such as studies that allege links between pollution and chemical exposure without verifiable proof.
Secrecy is based on privacy concerns of individuals, who agree to participate only if the details of their condition are kept confidential.
Details of the new policy are still being worked out, but Americans deserve transparency, said EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman.
The policy would affect much of what the agency touches, regulations on climate change, pesticides and lead paint.
David Michaels, assistant secretary of labour for occupational safety and health under President Barack Obama, said this had "weaponised transparency".
The bottom line, critics say, is that if the EPA is limited to considering only studies in which the data is publicly available, the agency would regulate less than they do.
Mr Pruitt laid out his plans for the new transparency policy in an interview. The proposal is based on legislation named the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act, also known as the Honest Act, a bill sponsored by Texas Republican Congressman Lamar Smith.
That legislation aimed to preclude the EPA from using any studies that could not be independently reproduced. "Our citizens have a right to see the data that the EPA says justifies their regulations," Mr Smith said.
EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, appointed by President Donald Trump, wants to block the use of studies that do not make public the data behind the research claims, reported the New York Times.
The EPA would no longer consider scientific research unless the underlying data can be made public for other scientists and industry groups to examine, said the report.
Regulators would find themselves restricted from using the most forceful environmental claims, such as studies that allege links between pollution and chemical exposure without verifiable proof.
Secrecy is based on privacy concerns of individuals, who agree to participate only if the details of their condition are kept confidential.
Details of the new policy are still being worked out, but Americans deserve transparency, said EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman.
The policy would affect much of what the agency touches, regulations on climate change, pesticides and lead paint.
David Michaels, assistant secretary of labour for occupational safety and health under President Barack Obama, said this had "weaponised transparency".
The bottom line, critics say, is that if the EPA is limited to considering only studies in which the data is publicly available, the agency would regulate less than they do.
Mr Pruitt laid out his plans for the new transparency policy in an interview. The proposal is based on legislation named the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act, also known as the Honest Act, a bill sponsored by Texas Republican Congressman Lamar Smith.
That legislation aimed to preclude the EPA from using any studies that could not be independently reproduced. "Our citizens have a right to see the data that the EPA says justifies their regulations," Mr Smith said.