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On March 8, 2017, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) proposed an act that could significantly affect the consideration of science by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The act is H.R. 1430, also known as the Honest Act. Although the scientific community has long advocated sound and effective approaches to the consideration of science by policy makers, it has also raised concerns about this particular approach of limiting EPA's regulatory actions to only considering research for which the underlying data is publicly available. This article provides a brief explanation of the Honest Act and similar EPA actions, concerns raised by the scientific community, and some surmises about the future of science at EPA.
The Honest Act
The Honest Act would require EPA-when it issues any "risk, exposure, or hazard assessment, criteria document, standard, limitation, regulation, regulatory impact analysis, or guidance"-to rely upon "(A) the best available science; (B) specifically identified; and (C) publicly available online in a manner that is sufficient for independent analysis and substantial reproduction of research results, except that any personally identifiable information, trade secrets, or commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential, shall be redacted prior to public availability."
The act itself does not specify how these requirements are to be implemented, but simply restricts the agency from justifying any listed actions using data that fails to fulfill the described standards. Thus, a number of questions remain regarding the actual effect of the Act, should the Act be passed: Will EPA create internal...