Exxon-Backed Legislation to Increase Corporate Influence over EPA’s Scientific Board Passes
Posted at 9:22 pm by Lee Fang
In the midst of congressional votes on the Keystone XL and NSA reform, the House of Representatives just passed a far-ranging bill to compel the EPA’s board of scientific advisors to include industry representatives. The bill, H.R. 1422, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act, is the latest attempt by the Republican-held Congress to manipulate the science underpinning environmental regulations.
The bill has been sharply criticized by scientists, environmental groups, and public health experts because it compromises the scientific independence of the EPA’s scientific advisors, noted Emily Atkins of ThinkProgress. The Union of Concerned Scientists explains that the bill “opens the door to more corporate influence on the Board, because the bill directly stipulates that experts with financial ties to corporations affected by SAB assessments are ‘not excluded.’”
The bill also changes the way the board conducts its own reviews of scientific research, obstructing the process by forcing the scientists to engage in special hearings to “discuss the state of the science” related to any regulatory or advisory activity. As the UCS notes, this requirement may force the Board to repeatedly re-examine the “state of the science” on climate change, toxins, and air pollutants.
The bill passed with every voting House Republican supporting it, and nearly every Democrat opposing it. Democrats to cross the aisle and support the bill include Representative Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland and Patrick Murphy of Florida.Though the bill will not likely pass the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate, come January, Republicans will have control of both chambers and may push the legislation again.
- See more at: http://www.republicreport.org/2014/exxon-backed-legislation-to-increase-corporate-influence-over-epas-scientific-board-passes/#sthash.qAAiR8ll.dpuf
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