April 28, 2015

On April 28, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the Secret Science Reform Act (S.544), introduced by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), by an 11-9 party-line vote. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ed Markey’s (D-MA) amendment barring censorship of common terms like “climate change” in official documents passed with the bill.

The bill would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using science that is not “transparent and reproducible” in its rule creation. Democrats expressed their displeasure with the bill, saying it will impinge on the EPA’s ability to use private health information in their scientific process. Senator Boxer cited the Congressional Budget Office’s report stating that the bill would cost $250 million per year and would reduce the number of studies the EPA is able to carry out.

The House passed its own “secret science” bill last month. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation.

Source: E&E News