Pruitt issues directive to protect science committees’ independence

US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator E. Scott Pruitt issued a directive on Oct. 31 aimed at ensuring that any member of an EPA federal advisory committee is independent and free of any real, apparent, or potential interference with his or her objectivity on matters the committee considers.

No committee member can receive EPA grants or be in a position to benefit substantially from one, the directive specified. This would not apply to state, local, or tribal government recipients.

“Whatever science comes out of EPA shouldn’t be political science,” Pruitt said. “From this day forward, EPA advisory committee members will be financially independent from the agency.”

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].