The Trump administration's EPA is proposing rules that would restrict the use of scientific studies in public health and environmental regulations unless all raw data—including confidential medical records—is publicly shared. What are the implications?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aims to ensure greater transparency in the science informing regulations. As reported by The New York Times on November 11, 2019, studies must disclose all underlying data, even sensitive records typically kept confidential, to influence rulemaking. This affects industrial emissions standards and air and water quality protections.
The policy is retroactive, potentially invalidating existing anti-pollution regulations. Established in 1970 to safeguard human health and the environment, the EPA is now led by Andrew R. Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist with expertise in energy policy.
Scientists have raised strong concerns. Michael Halpern of the Union of Concerned Scientists argued in a blog post that this shifts risk assessments from experts to politicians, undermining objective advice on public health threats.
Critics worry it could exclude vital studies reliant on confidentiality, such as the landmark 1993 Harvard Six Cities study linking air pollution to premature deaths. That research tracked 22,000 people across six U.S. cities under confidentiality agreements and directly shaped life-saving regulations.
President Trump, known for his skepticism on climate science, removed key science officials from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) early in his term and announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, effective in 2020.
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