EPA puts off final say on science transparency rule

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it is putting off for at least a year any final announcement on a controversial proposal overhauling how the agency evaluates science.

The agency’s so-called transparency in regulatory science rule was one of the most contentious proposed by former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, who stepped down last summer amid ethics scandals.

Trump replaced Pruitt with current acting administrator Andrew Wheeler, who like Pruitt describes himself as a champion of rolling back what they see as unnecessary and burdensome regulations.

Supporters say the rule would help the public understand the science behind EPA regulations, by requiring scientists to disclose more info on the individual cases underlying public-health studies.

EPA public hearings on the proposal drew critics— health officials, academics, researchers and others, who said the rule could force regulators to ignore the findings of major publichealth studies, since much of the information on patients in those studies is confidential.

“The current political leadership still wants to move forward with Pruitt’s agenda to sideline science, just at a slower pace,” Yogin Kothari, of the Union of Concerned Scientists non-profit, said Wednesday.

“It’s clear the agency’s political leadership still wants to ignore the best available science when it comes to protecting public health and the environment,” Kothari said.

The agency says it received almost 600,000 public comments on the proposal.