Political Quotes

“It was the Congressional intent of the legation to balance the need to ensure public access to health and safety studies with the need to protect from public disclosure valuable confidential business information (CBI) and trade secrets that are already exempt from mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Striking the appropriate balance between public disclosure on the one hand, and the protection of a company's valuable intellectual property rights embodied in CBI and trade secrets on the other hand, is essential to better informing the public regarding decisions by regulatory authorities with respect to chemical, while encouraging innovation and economic competitiveness. The compromise retains the language of existing section 14(b) to make clear that the Administrator is not prohibited from disclosing health and safety studies, but that certain types of CBI and trade secrets disclosed within health and safety studies must always be protected from disclosure. The new, additional language in this section is intended to clarify that confidential chemical identities--which includes chemical names, formulas and structures--may themselves reveal CBI or trade secret process information. In such cases, the confidential chemical identity must always be protected from disclosure. The new language is not limiting; it makes clear that any other information that would reveal proprietary or trade secret processes is similarly protected.…”