EPA’S SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

Abstract

CONGRESS CONTINUED its investigation into the state of scientific integrity at EPA last week. A Senate panel questioned the current and former heads of the agency’s Office of Research & Development (ORD) under President George W. Bush. Senators focused on a controversial new policy that gives federal agencies facing cleanup liability more, and sometimes secret, opportunities to sway EPA’s health assessments of pollutants. Senators heard opposing views from George Gray, the current ORD chief who oversaw EPA’s adoption of that policy, and Paul Gilman, who headed ORD from 2002 to 2004. Gray defended the secrecy requirement, telling a Senate Environment & Public Works subcommittee that it “encourages a free and frank exchange” among agencies. Gray added, “At the end of the new assessment process, we are very transparent about what we have done” because EPA makes public the scientific rationale for its chemical health assessments. But Gilman said that federal agencies that pollute should ...