Lipinski Calls On EPA's Pruitt to Withdraw “Transparency Rule"

Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) and over 100 of his colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt today urging him to withdraw a recently-proposed “transparency rule” that would limit scientific research available to EPA policy makers as they draft regulations.

“We support transparency and scientific integrity,” Lipinski and the other lawmakers stated in the letter. “However, the proposed rule will limit transparency and undermine the scientific integrity of the EPA’s rulemaking process. It would also implement an opaque process allowing the EPA to selectively suppress scientific evidence without accountability and, in the process, undermine bedrock environmental laws.”

Nearly one thousand scientists and many leading scientific organizations have opposed the proposed rule since it was issued in late April. The letter was signed by 103 House members, and led by Representatives Lipinski, DeGette, Tonko, and Beyer.

The proposed rule requires that data underlying EPA’s regulatory actions be made publicly available to allow for independent validation. Such a standard could exclude studies that utilize confidential industry and health data that are vital to understanding the nature of chemical pollutants, the impacts of pollution, and the most effective ways to protect the environment and public health.

“The proposed rule appears to be targeted at excluding important public health studies, while privileging industry-sponsored research,” said Lipinski and his peers in the letter. “It also fails to adequately consider the costs of implementation and the potential privacy implications. Finally, the discretion it gives the Administrator to grant case-by-case exemptions completely undermines the stated goal of transparency.”