Austin Congressman Lamar Smith Leads The Charge Against Environmental Regulations
Since Republicans took full control of Washington, Central Texas Congressman Lamar Smith has become a leading voice in setting the party's agenda when it comes to science and environmental regulation. But some worry that agenda could have a chilling effect on research and policy.
As head of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Smith made a name for himself challenging widely accepted science on climate change, including subpoenaing researchers and government officials with whom he disagrees.
“Let me to confess to you all, I was the first Science Committee chair in 21 years to issue a subpoena. Twenty-one years ago, a chairman issued one subpoena. In the last Congress, I actually issued 25,” he recently told an approving crowd at a forum of climate science skeptics hosted by the conservative Heartland Institute. “Let me say, I don’t anticipate issuing near that many in the current Congress.”
Smith’s notion that many environmental regulations are based on suspect or nonexistent data is refuted by most in the scientific community. But it’s gained political traction since Trump took the White House. One of his bills that has already passed the House this year requires the Environmental Protection Agency to make new policies based only on research that uses data that’s publicly available.
Read more: http://kut.org/post/austin-congressman-lamar-smith-leads-charge-against-environmental-regulations
