Washington, D.C. – Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy demanding outstanding documents and communications related to the Committee’s ongoing oversight of regulatory decisions made by the agency. The letter follows numerous previous requests for information that have yet to be fulfilled. If EPA fails to provide the documents by the deadline provided, the letter states that the Committee will consider issuance of a subpoena.
“The agency’s obstruction of legitimate Congressional oversight by its continuing delays is particularly troubling given the agency’s attempts to ram through an overwhelming number of regulations in the final two years of the Obama Administration. Given the breadth and scope of these regulations, as well as their impact on the American people and the economy, it appears that EPA is engaging in an effort to obfuscate Congressional oversight of these rules by delaying its production of key documents to the Committee.”
Chairman Smith reiterated calls for the EPA to produce the balance of documents and information outlined in the following letters:
- May 14, 2015, letter requesting documents and communications generated by former EPA employee Michael Goo and outside groups, including the White House, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, and the Natural Resources Defense Council;
- May 18, 2015, letter requesting documents and communications referring or relating to the Waters of the United States rule since rebranded by the agency as the Clean Water Rule; and
- May 26, 2015, letter requesting documents and communications relating to efforts to solicit public comments on EPA regulations during the notice and comment period.
The full letter can be found here.