(Washington, DC) – House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas released a statement today on a final rule announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Strengthening Transparency in Pivotal Science Underlying Significant Regulatory Actions and Influential Scientific Information rule will increase the availability and transparency of data used in studies informing new environmental rules and regulations.

Lucas praised the final rule, saying, “the EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, and this work must be informed by transparent and robust scientific research. Transparency is essential to the scientific process and the foundation of public trust in policy decisions. This final rule allows for underlying data to be securely validated and evaluated by subject matter experts." 

Lucas urged people to read the final rule as published. “Administrator Wheeler and the EPA did extensive work developing this over the past two years, taking into consideration thousands of public comments. The final product takes the first steps towards greater trust and accountability in EPA’s decision making that impacts all Americans.” 

For more details on the final rule, EPA Administrator Wheeler’s announcement is available here, and a fact sheet is available here.