ARTICLE · 11 FEBRUARY 2014

Decrypting The Science Behind The U.S. EPA: The Secret Science Reform Act

Reed Smith

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After years of alleging that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") relied on undisclosed and unverifiable data upon which to base its regulations, at least some Members of the U.S. House of Representative have decided to intervene

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Christopher Rissetto

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After years of alleging that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") relied on undisclosed and unverifiable data upon which to base its regulations, at least some Members of the U.S. House of Representative have decided to intervene. On February 6, 2014, David Schweikert (R-AZ-6), Chair of the Subcommittee on Environment, in the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, joined by Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX-21) and a total of 18 co-sponsors, introduced the Secret Science Reform Act (H.R. 4012).

No text of the bill is yet available. The bill's title, however, gives a clear picture of the sponsors' intention regarding the proposed legislation: To prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible.

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