House Passes Three Bills to Address Transparency, Efficiency in the EPA and Ensure Science Used in Regulatory Process

Press Release

The U.S. House of Representatives passed three bills this week to address transparency and efficiency in EPA's permitting process and ensure that the Agency is prevented from implementing economically harmful regulations without publishing the science behind it. Congressman Steve Pearce urged his colleagues in the Senate to take up these important pieces of legislation immediately.

H.R. 1422, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2013, makes changes to the EPA's Science Advisory Board to increase public participation, increase the transparency for selecting advisors, and ensures the board remains focused on science and not politics. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 229-191.

"Under this administration, the EPA has introduced a number of economically devastating proposals that have had little scientific standing," said Congressman Steve Pearce. "With so many livelihoods on the line, we must ensure that the panel that reviews these regulations is fair and balanced. This bill will work to guarantee that these job-killing regulations are no longer subject to a biased panel and that there is transparency in the review process. I ask that my colleagues in the Senate take up this piece of legislation immediately."

H.R. 4012, the Secret Science Reform Act, prohibits the EPA from enacting or proposing regulations without first publishing for independent review the science on which they were based. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 237-190.

"Over the last six years, the EPA has cost jobs and increased electricity rates for Western families through their economically damaging proposals," Pearce said. "These costly proposals have been implemented based on science that the EPA refuses to publicize for peer review. Taxpayers who pay for these reckless regulations deserve a say in the process. This bill will create a more transparent process by requiring the EPA to publicize their science."

H.R. 4795, the Promoting New Manufacturing Act, increases transparency and efficiency within the EPA by reducing lengthy permitting delays for manufacturing facilities, which help create American jobs. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 238-172.

"Increased domestic energy production has led to a revival of American manufacturing," Pearce said. "Unfortunately, this administration and the EPA refuse to allow this manufacturing resurgence to reach its full potential. Permitting delays have stalled the production of numerous manufacturing facilities that would provide thousands of good-paying jobs for Americans. This bill cuts back the bureaucratic red tape that this administration has used to slow this recovery."

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