"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) political staffers have been working to internally replicate through agency action a bill that would restrict the kind of science that the EPA can use when writing regulations, internal emails show.

EPA head Scott Pruitt met with Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science Committee, on Jan. 9, according to a copy of Pruitt’s public schedule.

Smith for years has been pushing to restrict the type of scientific findings accepted by the EPA. His repeatedly sponsored bill, now called the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment — or HONEST — Act, would mandate all scientific data and findings be made publicly available before they are used to justify agency regulations. Opponents of the idea say that it would exclude a number of public health studies.

Newly released emails show that Pruitt and his staff are working to essentially replicate Smith’s proposal, and spent a majority of February working to finalize the policy. "

Miranda Green and Timothy Cama report for The Hill April 19, 2018. [2]