House GOP Continues Its Anti-Science Campaign
WASHINGTON (November 19, 2014)—House Republicans continued their attack on science-based protections for public health and the environment today, passing on a largely party-line vote a bill that would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from using certain peer-reviewed health research when developing standards to protect public health.
Scott Slesinger, legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, made the following statement:
“The bill would deny EPA the ability to rely upon peer-reviewed medical studies that involve commitments to patient confidentiality when the agency carries out its statutory responsibilities to safeguard public health and the environment. This is a backdoor way to make it harder to protect the public from toxic threats and should not stand.”
The action came a day after a similarly partisan House vote on another anti-science bill that would put more pro-industry representatives on EPA’s independent Science Advisory Board and make other changes that would compromise the board’s scientific integrity and independence. The White House has threatened to veto both bills.