Secret Science Reform Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Chairman, this will be the second time that I have cosponsored an amendment to the Secret Science Reform Act with Representatives KENNEDY and MCGOVERN.

I have spoken in opposition to this bill before, but so long as the House continues to consider antiscience legislation that endangers public health, I will continue to point out why it is dangerous.

As written, the Secret Science Reform Act prohibits the EPA from considering any science that is not publicly available in its rulemaking process. A great deal of important research, particularly related to public health, is based on sensitive personal information that this bill would exclude from consideration.

This limit poses an impossible choice for the EPA: disregard critical research--even when it has been subject to rigorous evaluation and peer review--or violate the privacy of volunteers.

Our amendment ensures that this will not happen. It simply provides that the EPA may rely on any peer reviewed scientific publication when making rules, even if all of the underlying data is not publicly available. This will protect the scientific integrity of the EPA's process without endangering the privacy of Americans who participate in scientific research.

Mr. Chairman, I include two letters in opposition to H.R. 1030 for the Record. One is from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the other is from a coalition of environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action.

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