President Trump and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt continue draining the swamp. This time, it’s “secret science” flushing down the duct.
Administrator Pruitt proposed ending the use of secret science on April 24th. The EPA often backs policy decisions with scientific evidence, but some of its most costly rules cite research with undisclosed data. Americans subjected to EPA regulations in the past sometimes couldn’t review the agency’s scientific justifications. Pruitt hopes to end this practice.
Conservative activists rightly decried decisions stilted by hidden data, coining the “secret science” nickname. Research that can’t be critiqued and reviewed by the American public should not dictate decisions over American lives. Yet, the EPA used secret science on massive rulemakings like the Clean Power Plan. Open review of data, research, and science should be the norm of for administrative agencies.
Supporters of secret science say banishing it will reduce availability of quality research for EPA rules, but this is nonsense. Their typical claim is that studies involving public health often involve private information from medical patients that cannot be publicly revealed without infringing patient privacy.
But during the announcement of new rules on secret science, Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Lamar Smith (R-Texas) noted that other government agencies use redaction to protect privacy. Redaction can guarantee public viewing of data without revealing private information. Before third parties submit data to the EPA to inform policy-making decisions, they can scrub protected personal information from records used by the agency.
Most importantly, publicly available data makes for better rulemakings. When the EPA issues rulemakings, the American public is invited to submit comments. Suggestions and input from the public will improve if they access the same data that informs EPA regulators. The result is a better scientific process in policy making.
This EPA isnt working for the Sierra Club,NRDC,EDF,Freinds of the Earth,Nature Conservancy or Greenpeace that’s why the Eco-Wackos are so upset
Fine. Lets make all of the confidential data the EPA has collected about commercial chemicals, toxins, pesticides, industrial processes, pollutants, and their potential dangers available to the general public, and to their lawyers.
Also, all of the private health data and statistical studies that the EPA has collected in determining those dangers. Let’s release the raw data and health studies concerning the arsenic levels in rice and its consequences, along with anything else the EPA has related to specific products, companies, and industries. Then we can see how that level of transparency works for his corporate special interest buddies.
No, wait… I know! We’ll release all the data—for the sake of Total Transparency™—but redact anything that might cost our corporate special interest buddies money. That will work!
Secret science… The man is a frickin’ lying weasel, just like the lying weasel who appointed him.
@Greg: Confidential data? WTF is that. are they afraid Monsanto , the nuclear power companies, 5G pushers will be exposed? They are big big donors to democrats, or that they are already geo engineering and have been for a long time afraid floride will be exposed? Or that there is no data just feelings.
If my medical records would save thousands of people from a terrible sickness, I would give them to MSNBC in a heartbeat.
Now on to the CDC and FDA lets see who funds their science!
Pruitt’s staff tried to lay out $70,000 to buy him new office desks, one being bullet proof. They tried to lease a $100,000 per month fly-anywhere-any-time private jet. They hired a 20-man full time security detail to accompany Pruitt and family members everywhere they go, and arranged for him to travel by motorcade, complete with sirens and flashing lights. (Used on one occasion for transportation to a local French restaurant.) His head of security wanted to spend $43,000 on a special soundproof, bug-proof chamber, to assure Pruitt’s important conversations would remain private from EPA employees. (This for Mr. Total Transparency, who wants to reveal the EPA’s insidious Secret Science plot.)
Read the Business Insider article for yourself.
That he would behave like the King of the Alligators at taxpayer expense isn’t the main problem, however. Nor that he’s totally incompetent to head the EPA. It’s the fact that he’s an enemy of the EPA, and doesn’t give a rat’s rear end about the agency’s mission.
@Greg: After seeing what happened to the POTUS right after he was in office the leaks and BS I dont blame him for his security measures. Did the EPA protect Flint, or the Animus river? https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/259848/obamas-toxic-environmental-pollution-agency-michelle-malkin
Increasing CAFE standards when it kills thousands, mostly the poor.
Eco wakos not able to murder for their cause?
They certainly didn’t protect Flint from the incompetence of Rick Snyder’s appointed emergency managers.
@Greg: Funny that the emergency managers were put here due to decades of democrat failures and lack of financial prudence.
But thats far enough down that rabbit hole, I was asking about the national level of EPA corruption especially Obamas CZAR.
@Greg:
The EPA has been used to acting like a dictatorship, but being able to bring charges against businesses without any validation or proof is coming to an end. Thus, the left is working overtime to try and destroy Pruitt.
Some of your leftist useful idiots have been making death threats against Pruitt, as he is not honoring the tradition of the EPA acting like they ARE the government. He is a threat to the leftist agenda.
Protect Flint? Would that be the Flint that Obama’s EPA fed lead-poisoned water?
Obama’s EPA mileage rules (CAFE standards) are so onerous as to be technologically and economically infeasible.
For example, SUVs are supposed to get 55 miles per gallon by 2025.
But the problem is multiple:
1. the sticker that nowadays says 55 MPG is on vehicles that really only get 44.
2. the testing is based on highway speeds while, in CA, for example, freeways are all stop and go 24/7 – which brings the MPG down to the single digits!
3. the safety tradeoffs to get a multi child-carrying SUV up to 55 MPG would be so onerous as to scare away almost all caring parents.
And for Greg, who lately seems obsessed with arsenic in rice:
Here is how to cook rice to remove the most arsenic
Soak your rice overnight – this opens up the grain and allows the arsenic to escape.
Drain the rice and rinse thoroughly with fresh water multiple times.
For every part rice add 5 parts water and cook until the rice is tender – do not allow it to boil dry.
Drain the rice and rinse again with hot water to get rid of the last of the cooking water.
@Greg:
Business Insider is about as accurate as pmsnbc. Their bias was so bad they had to discontinue their comments thread!
@Bookdoc, #10:
It’s not like Business Insider has been the only media outlet raising questions about Pruitt, is it?
@Nanny G: And add lead to taste? 😉
@Greg: #6 OMG you were 100% correct the emergency manager put in charge!
I guess performance wasnt a criteria.
@Greg:
No, all liberal propaganda puppets parrots the lies.
Someone with some Common Sense Solutions and not Bigger Goverment
Because somebody, somewhere just doesn’t give a damn…
Alarming rise in ozone-destroying chemical points to likelihood of illegal production
This demonstrates why we need the EPA, and why the world needs enforceable international agreements. Because some people just don’t care.
@Greg: This merely demonstrates why the US doesn’t belong in any of these bogus-ass I international groups because nations are going to pursue their own interests while the US pays a disproportional amount of the penalties.
I’ll give Trump credit for getting most people who are wrong about nearly everything in one tent. They really should keep on wearing the hats. They make identification easier.
@Greg: You leftists have claimed Trump colluded with the Russians to justify this political witch hunt. So, where’s the collusion? WHO’S wrong all the time?
The left is not so wrong as they are willing to do anything and everything to deny the public their choice.
@Greg: Ok we are wrong now show us your work on how the science is proven., hey whats the fine going to be for that volcano spewing out all those green house gasses? Will Hawaii have to pay that or will Al Gore personally deliver the bill to the volcano itself?
Has anyone calculated how many toxic fluorescent bulbs we have to put in for this?
Why don’t they like the EPA? Because it makes it harder to get away with crap like this:
Pence family’s failed gas stations cost taxpayers $20M+
@Greg: Sort of misleading headline, seems it wasnt Pence oil it was Kiel. No one hates the EPA another lie you lapped up, what we hate are laws rules and regulations made by un-elected unaccountable people every last one should be voted on. In fact the EPA was begun by a Republican.