Pearce Votes to Require that EPA Science and Decisions Be Subject to Public Review and Input

Statement

Today, the House passed H.R. 1030, the Secret Science Reform Act with a bipartisan vote of 241-175, to require the EPA to base all regulations on data that is already public. U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 1030 and a related bill -- H.R. 1029, the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act.

"Over the last six years, the EPA has cost jobs and increased electricity rates for New Mexico families through their economically damaging proposals," said Pearce. "These costly proposals have been implemented based upon science that the EPA refuses to publicize for peer review. Taxpayers who pay for these reckless regulations deserve a say in the process. H.R. 1030 is a common sense piece of legislation that simply requires the EPA to publicize their science before they finalize a rule."

Yesterday, the House also passed H.R. 1029 by a vote of 236-181. The bill makes changes to the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) to increase public participation, increase transparency for selecting advisors, and to ensure that the Board remains focused on science -- not politics. In voting for this measure, Congressman Pearce commented:

"We must ensure that EPA Science Advisory Board that reviews these costly regulations is fair and balanced. The panel is heavily populated by scientists who receive grant money from the agency itself. H.R. 1029 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 the Senate take up these critical bills and that the President fulfill his promise to the American people to foster transparency by supporting them."

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