The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board Reform Act, introduced by Reps. Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) to improve fairness, transparency and independence among the EPA’s advisers.
“The EPA’s Science Advisory Board was intended to provide a meaningful, balanced and independent assessment of the science that informs federal regulatory decisions,” Lucas explained. “However, the EPA systematically silences voices of dissent on the Science Advisory Board, ignores calls for independence and balanced participation, and prevents the board from responding to congressional requests.”
The Science Advisory Board was established nearly 40 years ago with the aim of providing the independent advice of experts regarding specific scientific and technical information to the EPA and Congress, which may be relied upon to justify federal regulations. In the last 20 years, however, issues have surfaced with the board, including limited participation, EPA interference and bias tainting testimony, and various conflicts of interest.
The new law will work to correct these issues by strengthening public participation, increasing opportunities for the public to comment on a concern, reinforcing peer-review requirements, eliminating conflicts of interest, providing opportunities for dissenting panelists to make their views known, and requiring communication of uncertainties in scientific findings and conclusions.
“This is a good-government bill,” Lucas added. “It reflects the values we should uphold regardless of which side of the political aisle we are on. The bill recognizes the important role science should play in our policy debates and provides safeguards to give the public confidence in science. It restores the independent Science Advisory Board as a defender of scientific integrity.”