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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko today decried the “Selective Science” rule finalized by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler that would limit the ability of EPA policy makers to use scientific research when developing public protections and environmental guidelines.

“The Trump Administration has spent the past four years cloaking their radical deregulation agenda in one euphemism after another, and this so-called “transparency” rule is no exception,” Congressman Tonko said. “What they call transparency is a brazen campaign to force EPA scientists to choose between ignoring deadly consequences of air and water pollution or exposing the private health information of millions of impacted individuals. None of what they are trying to do here improves the actual science, and in fact its only purpose is to force our nation to turn a blind eye to the real dangers of toxic pollution. I look forward to working with the new Congress and the Biden-Harris administration to reverse this corrupt rule making and restore the principles of science and public health at America’s Environmental Protection Agency.”

The rule titled, “Strengthening Transparency in Pivotal Science Underlying Significant Regulatory Actions and Influential Scientific Information” allows the EPA to prioritize some studies over others, giving the agency and private interests a pathway to ignore science that protects public health and the environment.

Tonko has a long history of battling harmful EPA policy and calling for scientific integrity. Last year, he led a letter signed by 85 members calling for the withdrawal of the “Selective Science” rule. In 2018, Tonko led 103 members in a letter reproaching another proposed rule to stifle scientific research. 

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