Congress Allocates Millions to Reopen EPA Libraries
In late 2006, UCS sounded the alarm that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had begun hastily closing its network of scientific libraries, effectively preventing EPA scientists and the public from accessing vast amounts of data and information on issues from hazardous waste to air pollution. In the process, documents were destroyed and library equipment was sold off.
In order to fulfill its mission to protect human health and the environment, the EPA must rely on accurate, up-to-date scientific information as well as the findings of earlier studies. To make the best scientific determinations, scientists need access to information regarding the health effects of toxic substances, records of environmental change over time, impacts on specific regions or communities and other issues.
Over the course of several weeks, more than 8,000 UCS activists directed a steady stream of phone calls to EPA headquarters to demand that the agency immediately stop its plans to close more libraries. The calls earned UCS an invitation to meet with EPA officials to discuss the status and future of the EPA libraries system.
UCS joined the American Library Association, several scientific societies, and leaders in Congress to call for the EPA to reopen its library system and create a clear and transparent plan to make information available electronically. Shortly thereafter, the EPA temporarily suspended its closure plans until a better solution could be found.
In response, Congress has allocated $3 million in the EPA's 2008 budget to reopen the libraries that were closed. The EPA must report its progress to Congress within three months.
A General Accountability Office investigation into the library closures is due out by March 2008.
