The House on Thursday passed legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) that would restore the objectivity of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) by revising the selection process for its members.
The board was created in 1978 to provide policymakers with independent expert advice on scientific and technical information. However, it has been criticized for its limited public participation, interference with expert advice and potential conflicts of interest among its board members, Lucas said.
He introduced the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act, H.R. 1431, to restore independence to the SAB and to foster fairness, transparency and public participation in the process.
“Sound science must be the cornerstone of sound policy,” Lucas, the vice chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said. “This principle holds true regardless of which party controls Congress or who sits in the Oval Office. One way we can promote smart policymaking is by ensuring the research that goes into our decisions is transparent and unbiased.”
“I’m pleased the House took action today to improve the Science Advisory Board so that the most qualified and objective experts are free to undertake an honest review of regulatory science,” Lucas added.
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said the measure would lead to more outside input, wider expert opinions and more balanced recommendations from the SAB.
“Long-needed reforms to the SAB will increase public participation in EPA’s science review process and require the SAB to be more responsive to the public and to Congress,” Smith said. “These changes will strengthen the public’s trust in the science that EPA uses to support its regulations.”
The measure was approved with support from U.S. Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), who also supported House passage of the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment (HONEST) Act, H.R. 1430.
“(Last) week, the House voted to restore integrity and accountability at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” Flores said. “Under the Obama administration, the EPA would issue regulations based on ideological solutions in search of a problem with little or no transparency during the rulemaking process.”
“These bipartisan bills will help restore confidence in the EPA and will bring us one step closer to a transparent and honest federal government,” Flores said.