Scott Pruitt’s Shameless Rejection of Sound Science

WASHINGTON – Administrator Scott Pruitt said today that the Environmental Protection Agency would eliminate privacy protections on those who take part in health and scientific studies and mandate that all the information undergirding the research used by the agency be made public. Once again, Pruitt is doing the bidding of polluting industries.  

The following is a statement by John Walke, director of the clean air project at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“In his cynical efforts to delay or deny necessary health and environmental protection, Scott Pruitt will stop at nothing. This canard about `secret science’ began as an attempt by industry to undermine the landmark research – from more than two decades ago -- that determined air pollution is bad for your health. As a result of those findings, EPA forced polluters to clean up their act, saving or improving tens of thousands of lives.

“Now, Pruitt is taking aim at sound science in order to illegally obstruct necessary health safeguards.”

For more on the issue of industry’s claims of “secret science,” read Walke’s letter to the House Science Committee.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​