"The Environmental Protection Agency is considering a major change to the way it assesses scientific work, a move that would severely restrict the research available to it when writing environmental regulations.
Under the proposed policy, the agency would no longer consider scientific research unless the underlying raw data can be made public for other scientists and industry groups to examine. As a result, regulators crafting future rules would quite likely find themselves restricted from using some of the most consequential environmental research of recent decades, such as studies linking air pollution to premature deaths or work that measures human exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.
The reason: These fields of research often require personal health information for thousands of individuals, who typically agree to participate only if the details of their lives are kept confidential.
The proposed new policy — the details of which are still being worked out — is championed by the E.P.A. administrator, Scott Pruitt, who has argued that releasing the raw data would let others test the scientific findings more thoroughly. “Mr. Pruitt believes that Americans deserve transparency,” said Liz Bowman, an E.P.A. spokeswoman."
Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times March 26, 2018.
SEE ALSO:
"EPA Further Strains Relations With News Media By Referring Reporters To Daily Caller" (Think Progress)
"EPA: Details Lacking As Pruitt Attacks 'Secret Science'" (Greenwire)
"Pruitt's Attack On 'Secret Science' To Affect Climate Rule" (ClimateWire)
"How Pruitt’s New ‘Secret Science’ Policy Could Further Undermine Air Pollution Rules" (InsideClimate News)
"The EPA Ousted Science Advisers. Now It’s Going After The Science Itself." (Vox)
"Pruitt To Restrict The Use Of Data To Craft EPA Regulations" (The Hill)
Opinion: "Scott Pruitt’s Attack on Science Would Paralyze the E.P.A." (New York Times)
Letter of March 23, 2018, to Liz Bowman (National Association of Science Writers)
"Rep. Lamar Smith Launches New Assault on EPA's 'Secret Science'" (InsideClimate News)
"The Transparency Bills That Would Gut the EPA" (Atlantic: 3/15/2017)
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