Crapo Backs Bill to Increase Transparency at the EPA

Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo is calling for increased transparency in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) federal rule making process.  Crapo, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxins and Environmental Science,  joined colleagues on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to introduce legislation to prohibit the agency from proposing or finalizing regulations based on science that is not made publicly available to the American people.

"If the American people are going to continue to foot the bill for these multimillion and multibillion dollar regulations, they have a right to see the underlying data," said Crapo.  "The Administration continues to disregard the most basic tenets of science-transparency and reproducibility.  Costly and burdensome environmental regulations should only be based on data that is available to independent scientists and the public."

Currently, the EPA relies almost entirely on undisclosed data and proprietary models to justify the basis for new federal regulations and rulemakings.

Crapo previously pressed for increased transparency within the agency, requesting the EPA release the underlying data behind some of the agency's most costly rules.  Read the letter here.

Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), David Vitter (R-Louisiana), Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) joined Crapo in introducing the legislation.