What do a climate skeptic, former Koch employee, and radiation hype man all have in common?
Multiple reports surfaced this week that highlight the administration’s bad habit of putting people in charge of the things they hate. Just take a look at what's happening at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler appointed eight new members to the agency’s Science Advisory Board—and at least three of them reject mainstream science. This is a pretty significant problem considering the board is supposed to provide scientific expertise to inform policy decisions. One of the new appointees, John Christy, is "perhaps the most prominent climate skeptic in all of academia" and has previously said climate change research is “murky”—when in fact climate scientists the world over have been calling it “unequivocal” for years.
Wheeler struck out again with his appointment of Brant Ulsh, a scientist who argues for weaker regulations on low-level radiation...to the radiation advisory committee. Ulsh has been a vocal critic of the widely accepted position that any amount of ionizing radiation is a cancer risk. (You’re 0 for 2, Wheeler.) And finally, newly released documents show that a former Koch Industries employee, who previously helped the chemical-manufacturing giant avoid costly restrictions for and cleanups of toxic chemicals, has been in charge of EPA research that determines the level of regulation for industrial chemicals that pollute our air and drinking water and contaminate our food and household products. Of particular concern, the employee, David Dunlap, was involved in the recent EPA decision to not set drinking water limits on PFAS and PFOA, two well-understood industrial pollutants that have been linked to cancer, low birth weight, and immune system problems. Strike three.
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