Oklahoma Farm Report/Ron Hays
Oklahoma Radio Network
The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act (H.R. 1029) this week, introduced by Science, Space, and Technology Committee Vice-Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.). The bill brings fairness, transparency, and independence to the EPA’s expert panel.
“The EPA’s Science Advisory Board was intended to provide a meaningful, balanced, and independent assessment of the science that informs federal regulatory decisions,” said Congressman Lucas. “However, the EPA systematically silences voices of dissent on the Science Advisory Board, ignores calls for independence and balanced participation, and prevents the Board from responding to Congressional requests. This is a good-government bill; it reflects the values we should uphold regardless of which side of the political aisle we are on. The bill recognizes the important role science should play in our policy debates and provides safeguards to give the public confidence in science. It restores the independent Science Advisory Board as a defender of scientific integrity.”
Actually, this bill will REDUCE input from scientists and will diminish the useful roles of EPA.