WASHINGTON – A federal court today struck down an Environmental Protection Agency directive that banned many scientists from serving on the agency’s advisory boards. The U.S. District Court Southern District of New York ruled in favor of the Natural Resources Defense Council in its suit against EPA.
Following is a statement from Jon Devine, director of federal water policy for the Nature Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council:
“This is a victory for basic truth and good governance. It affirms the role of science in protecting our environment and public health. And it strikes down the EPA’s pernicious scheme to stack the deck in favor of big polluters by trying to shut out the voices of scientists—all to pump more pollution into our lives.
“This strikes a major blow against the EPA’s unrelenting war on science waged since Day One.”
Background
NRDC sued EPA last year challenging an October 31, 2017 directive from former administrator Scott Pruitt, which led to the agency removing from its roughly 23 advisory committees. NRDC asked the court to set aside the directive and all decisions based on it.
The directive was aimed at weakening the role of science in protecting the public from harmful chemicals and pollution. The directive sought to bar scientists who receive research grants from the EPA, mainly academic scientists from research universities who, the agency said, could be biased. The court found “no basis” for this allegation.
EPA’s claims also were hypocritical, as the agency allowed scientists, consultants and others who work for or receive funding from the chemical and fossil fuel industries to serve on these advisory boards.
More on the issue is in this NRDC blog: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/christina-swanson/pruitt-purges-independent-scientists-epa-advisory-boards
###
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at NRDC.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.
Related posts:
- Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) – Science Magazine
- England coronavirus testing has not risen fast enough – science chief – The Guardian
- Coronavirus Tests Science’s Need for Speed Limits – The New York Times
- Trump Falsely Distorts New York Times COVID-19 Science Story – FactCheck.org
- This is the brightest supernova ever seen – Science Magazine
- Coronavirus Today: Science will save us – Los Angeles Times
- Italians stuck at home are measuring light pollution for ‘science on the balcony’ – TechCrunch
- ‘Oumuamua might be a shard of a broken planet – Science News
- College of Arts and Science converts thriving academic programs to departments – Vanderbilt University News