EPA Administrator Michael Regan got a quick reminder Wednesday from Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas that he’s concerned the agency is making decisions based not so much on science but on politics.
Rep. Lucas, chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee spoke at a hearing that focused on Science and Technology at the EPA.
“I have a few concerns with some of EPA’s current actions and whether they are being driven by the best-available science as required under law,” he said in his opening remarks.
He raised the EPA’s recent decision to ban the insecticide chlorpyrifos, saying it not only exceeds safety determinations made by the agency’s own scientists, but runs counter to the scientific analysis done by USDA scientists.
Lucas also said several proposed new rules on greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air act raise questions because they are “unrealistic” and could leave the nation’s power sector vulnerable to outages.
“When EPA makes decisions that either ignore consensus science or create impossible costs for our businesses, it runs the risk of prioritizing politics over smart policy. And that harms all Americans,” stated Rep. Lucas.
He told Administrator Regan some of the EPA regulations have costs and consequences “that outweigh their potential benefits.”
“Every EPA action has a significant impact on our health, safety, and economy. That’s why it’s so important that the regulatory decisions EPA makes are based on the best available science.”
