In an attempt to suppress peer-reviewed health science at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a proposed rulemaking that drastically limits what science and data may be used to craft environmental protections. Any studies without public raw data—misleadingly dubbed “secret science” by Pruitt—are now off-limits. This includes many public health studies that rely on the confidential medical data of participants. Pruitt's new rule also conflicts with the standard practices of peer-reviewed scientific journals. While Pruitt and Republican lawmakers (who, it turns out, cooked up this policy in legislation that could not pass Congress) claim it promotes “transparency,” it actually invalidates a large swath of studies linking pollution to poor health and would lay the groundwork for industry-friendly rollbacks. Landmark research that helped form the bedrock of federal environmental protections—like that which links particulate matter from burning coal to premature deaths—is now at risk. Pruitt’s accusations of “secret science” are just another attempt to insert doubt where none exists and to sabotage efforts to protect Americans from pollution.
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Press Release
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…
Press Release
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt today announced a new policy to exclude any scientists who receive a research grant from EPA – typically academic scientists not affiliated with private companies – from serving on EPA science panels and advisory…
ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer
The incoming head of the EPA believes states should be in charge of their own environmental regulations. Been there, done that, got the oil-soaked T-shirt.
Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine
Muzzling scientists, scrubbing websites, attacking journalists: all in a shameful day’s work for our bought-and-paid-for EPA administrator. It’s time to stop him.