"Bills in four states require state environmental regulations to show “direct causal link” to “manifest bodily harm,” not just increased risk of disease. Scientists say that’s all but impossible."

"A series of Republican state legislatures are advancing, or have already passed, laws severely limiting the ability of state agencies to set environmental regulations, despite warnings from the scientific community that such measures could increase risk of serious health problems, including cancers. 

Versions of a “Sound Science” bill, proffered by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and supported by other business trade groups, have been signed into law in Alabama and Tennessee, and nearly identical bills are moving through state legislatures in Utah and Kentucky. 

The bills require state environmental regulations to rely on the “best available science,” borrowing language from, but going even further than, an executive order President Donald Trump issued last year. 

The bills bar state agencies from issuing environmental regulations that are more strict than federal standards, or setting limits for contaminants not regulated at the federal level, unless the state shows a “direct causal link” between a potential contaminant and “manifest bodily harm” in individuals."

Dennis Pillion reports for Inside Climate News March 7, 2026. [2]