EPA
House Oversight Probes Biden-Harris Administration’s Scientific Integrity Committees
On November 14, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced an investigation into the Biden-Harris Administration’s scientific integrity committees, including for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Comer cited concerns of interference of the “executive agency of future presidential administrations” through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Presidential Memorandum directing the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a Task Force on Scientific Integrity and federal agencies to produce scientific integrity reports (see previous COSSA coverage here). In letters sent to the EPA and HHS, Comer requested information on the…
EPA Seeks Public Comment on Draft Scientific Integrity Policy
On January 24, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a 30-day public comment period on the draft updates to its Scientific Integrity (SI) Policy. This policy is in response to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) memorandum requiring federal agencies to develop scientific integrity policies to restore trust in science (see previous COSSA coverage). The updated SI Policy will adopt a new Federal definition of scientific integrity and meaningfully strengthen several policy elements that will help ensure a culture of scientific integrity at the Agency. It will incorporate the model scientific integrity policy from the National Science and Technology Council’s A…
EPA Creates New Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights Office
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched an Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights Office to address environmental justice, enforce civil rights law, and deliver new grants and support. This office was created by merging three already existing programs within EPA: the Office of Environmental Justice, External Civil Rights Compliance Office, and Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center. EPA is dedicated to advancing justice and equity, particularly through aiding underserved communities with community-driven solutions.