GOP-backed measures seek to rein in science used at EPA
Source: Associated Press
GOP-backed measures seek to rein in science used at EPA
By MICHAEL BIESECKER
Feb. 8, 2017 3:34 AM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) Pondering new restrictions on how the Environmental Protection Agency can use scientific data, congressional Republicans are seeking advice from the chemical and fossil fuel industries.
House Science, Space and Technology committee chairman Lamar Smith this week accused the Obama administration of relying on faulty and falsified data to justify new regulations, such as limiting carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. The Texas Republican has been a frequent critic of climate science showing the world is warming and that man-made carbon emissions are to blame.
"With the transition to a new administration, there is now an opportunity to right the ship at the EPA and steer the agency in the right direction," Smith said Tuesday. "The EPA should be open and accountable to the American people and use legit science."
At a hearing Tuesday called "Making EPA Great Again," Smith's committee sought to build support for several industry-backed measures by calling on a panel of experts that included a chemical industry representative, a corporate consultant and a coal company lobbyist.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/492f3de64c4645abae104cc008d8ed6f/gop-backed-measures-seek-rein-science-used-epa