A pattern of policy decisions based on unsound science . . . unnecessary economic burdens on . . . regulated community . . . exposure of people and ecosytems

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Grassroots Information Coordination Center (GICC) : One Thread

LEGISLATION TO CREATE NEW SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POSITION AT EPA CONSIDERED

The House Science Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards heard testimony on March 29th on H.R. 64, a bill that would create a new Deputy Administrator for Science and Technology at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The new position, which would require Senate confirmation, would have overall responsibility for the scientific and technical foundation of EPA's regulatory policy decisions. In addition, H.R. 64 would designate the existing position of Assistant Administrator for Research and Development as the Agency's "chief scientist", position with a fixed six-year term.

H.R. 64 was introduced by Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI/3) in response to a June 2000 National Research Council report, Strengthening Science at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Research-Management and Peer-Review Practices. That report called on Congress to establish a Deputy Administrator for Science and Technology at EPA to correct what the Council perceived as a pattern of policy decisions based on unsound science resulting in both unnecessary economic burdens on the regulated community and on the exposure of people and ecosytems to avoidable risks, e.g., the recent controversy surrounding EPA's decision to curb air pollution through the use of the fuel additive MTBE, which was later found to contaminate drinking water supplies. EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman has requested the opportunity to review H.R. 64 in detail prior to the full House Science Committee's markup of the bill. No further action is anticipated until the House returns from its Easter recess.

For additional information on H.R. 64, click on http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search by bill number, i.e., H.R. 64.

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), April 05, 2001


Moderation questions? read the FAQ