EPA Science Advisory Board Seeks to Comment on " Secret Science " Proposal

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) has expressed an interest in analyzing and commenting on the EPA proposed rule “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.” The proposed rule would bar the use of scientific studies for which the underlying data are not publicly available in formulating regulations. In a letter posted on the Board’s website, the SAB urged the EPA Administrator to “request, receive, and review” its advice before revising or finalizing the proposed rule. According to the letter, the proposal focuses on “the EPA’s foundational policies related to the use of science in rulemaking and policy development” and has “the potential to influence policy development and guidance across the government.” The letter dated June 28, 2018 and signed by SAB Chairman Michael Honeycutt notes that although the draft rule cites several important publications that support transparency in science, “the precise design of the proposed rule appears to have been developed without a public process for soliciting input specifically from the scientific community.” The letter lists specific issues that might benefit from examination by the SAB, including the precise definition of critical concepts like “replication” and “validation,” the handling of epidemiologic studies based on confidential and sensitive personal information of human subjects,...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news