In 'defense of science,' researchers sue EPA over move to overhaul advisory boards
Source: Washington Post
In 'defense of science,' researchers sue EPA over move to overhaul advisory boards
By Sarah Kaplan and Brady Dennis December 21 at 1:36 PM
A group of the Environmental Protection Agency's current and former advisory board members sued it Thursday over Administrator Scott Pruitt's controversial decision to bar scientists who receive agency grants from serving as outside advisers.
Calling the new policy “unlawful, arbitrary and capricious,” the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia argues Pruitt did not have authority to change the agency's ethics rules. A handful of environmental advocacy and public health organizations also joined the lawsuit.
In announcing the policy in October, Pruitt said his intention was to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure the objectivity of the agency's 22 advisory committees — groups of subject-matter experts that offer regulators guidance on topics ranging from children's health to hazardous waste.
Risk analysis specialist Robyn Wilson, of Ohio State University, who is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, argues the restriction unnecessarily duplicates existing vetting procedures. As a first-time EPA grant recipient whose term on the agency's Science Advisory Board was cut short last month, she sees the policy change as both insidious and “morally reprehensible.”
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/12/21/in-defense-of-science-researchers-sue-epa-over-move-to-overhaul-advisory-boards/