Pruitt To Unveil Controversial ‘Transparency’ Rule Limiting Science

"Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to propose a rule Tuesday that would establish new standards for what science could be used in writing agency regulations, according to individuals briefed on the plan. It is a sweeping change long sought by conservatives.

The rule, which Pruitt has described in interviews with select media over the past month, would only allow EPA to consider studies for which the underlying data are made available publicly. Advocates describe this approach as an advance for transparency, but critics say it would effectively block the agency from relying on long-standing, landmark studies linking air pollution and pesticide exposure to harmful health effects.

In an interview Sunday with radio host John Catsimatidis on 970 AM in New York, Pruitt described the change as a way to let the public judge “the data, the methodology, the analytics” behind any scientific analysis presented to the EPA as it drafts regulations."

Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis report for the Washingtonn Post April 24, 2018.