Confidential Business Information: EPA Seeks Rule Change, Riles Industry

Abstract

The Environmental Protection Agency decision to seek changes in confidential business information (CBI) protection provisions of a number of environmental statutes has resulted in controversy that has been simmering on the back burner for more than a year. A lack of common ground, exacerbated by an antiregulation political climate, thus far has thwarted attempts to reach consensus. Both sides agree that the changes, which were formally proposed by EPA in late November 1994, were preceded by a novel level of formal and informal discussion between the agency and the regulated community. There is disagreement, however, about the extent to which the proposed rule reflects these discussions. There's no denying that when the proposal was printed in the Federal Register , industry response was negative. This was clearly not the regulatory reform the chemical industry was looking forward to after the November 1994 elections. The proposed rule aims to reduce the amount of information that is held ...