Scientific Integrity Update - Summer 2009
Contents
1. Summary
2. EPA Restores Science to Air Quality Decisions
3. EPA Changes Toxic Chemical Assessment Process
4. UCS Activists Choose Cartoon Contest Winner
5. Looking Ahead
Program Updates
Clean Energy
Clean Vehicles
Food and Agriculture
Global Warming
Nuclear Weapons and Global Security
Scientific Integrity
Summary
This summer the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced improvements to the way it uses science to assess toxic chemicals and determine air quality standards. UCS supporters chose a winner in Science Idol: the Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest. And as the Obama administration puts the final touches on its plan to restore scientific integrity to federal policy making, we’re getting ready to ensure that they put their words into action.
EPA Restores Science to Air Quality Decisions
In May, the EPA reversed recent controversial changes to how science is used to control air pollution, ensuring that the agency uses independent science to protect public health and safety.
The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to establish air quality standards using the best available science. For decades, EPA staff scientists worked with the independent Clean Air Science Advisory Committee to review the latest studies and recommend appropriate controls on harmful pollutants. The Bush administration changed this process, eliminating the independent assessment by scientific experts and injecting political determinations much earlier in the decision-making process. This allowed the EPA to circumvent and squelch input from its own scientists and advisory committees.
UCS activists spoke out against the changes as early as 2005, urging the EPA to roll back the changes and criticizing the changes in person at public hearings around the country. When UCS convened a coalition of scientific organizations to meet with the EPA transition team in January, we stressed that the Bush changes should be reversed (pdf).
EPA Makes Toxic Chemical Assessment More Transparent
Also in May, the EPA announced significant changes to the way the government assesses toxic chemicals, greatly increasing transparency, accountability, and efficiency to better protect the public. However, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may still wield the authority to interfere in the agency's scientific analysis.
Investigations by both UCS (pdf) and the General Accountability Office (pdf) found significant problems with the chemical assessment system (known as the Integrated Risk Information System, or IRIS) and the way the agency assesses the risks toxic chemicals pose to our health and environment. The investigations found that redundant and unnecessary review by other federal agencies threatened the independence of EPA’s scientific work and created an extensive backlog of chemicals in the EPA's queue. The investigations also found that Bush administration OMB officials often interfered in EPA scientific assessments, including those related to the IRIS database. The Obama administration has not yet defined the role the OMB will play in the regulatory process, but is expected to do so soon.
The new process should stop other federal agencies from undermining the EPA's scientific analysis behind closed doors. The EPA has gone as far as it can; UCS is now pushing the White House to establish a regulatory review process that includes strong protections for science.
Science Idol: Celebrity Edition
Recently, we invited you to help choose the winner in Science Idol: Celebrity Edition, a cartoon contest designed to poke fun at the not-so-humorous problem of political interference in science. After more than 10,000 votes were cast, Jesse Springer of Eugene, OR, came out on top. His cartoon will grace the cover of this year's Scientific Integrity Calendar.
Since 2006, UCS has asked cartoonists all over the United States to give us their creative take on the absurdity of political interference in science. In 2009, we asked 12 previous entrants to highlight several issues that must be addressed by the Obama administration and Congress to restore scientific integrity to federal policy making, including protecting whistleblowers, increasing transparency, improving pubic access to scientists’ expertise.
Thanks to everyone who voted and shared the cartoons with family, friends and colleagues. The cartoon calendar helps UCS raise awareness about the consequences of political interference in federal government science on our health, safety, and environment. Help us spread the word by ordering a calendar here.
Looking Ahead
Earlier this year, President Obama asked the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to come up with a strategy for preventing political interference in science. We expect that these recommendations will come out soon—and then the real work begins.
While President Obama pledged in his inaugural address to “restore science to its rightful place,” transformational change will take more than just strong leadership at the top. Indeed, much remains to be done to repair the damage to federal science, create an environment that is supportive of scientific input, and implement permanent changes through legislation to make it more difficult for future administrations to misuse scientific information when forming policy.
UCS is working to put in place lasting protections for science and scientists based on our recommendations from our 2008 report Federal Science and the Public Good (pdf). From strong federal agency media policies and protections for whistle blowers to transparency in the policy-making process, we need your persistent and energetic engagement to help create a thriving federal scientific enterprise. With your help, we will make sure the administration follows through on its commitments.
