Political Quotes

“This Young amendment looks eerily familiar to the so-called Secret Science Reform Act, H.R. 1030, that the House passed in a partisan vote back in March, except the problem is that this bill is actually even worse. H.R. 1030 would have applied these harmful restrictions to the EPA, but this amendment that we are looking at today would affect every single Federal agency. Let's look. The amendment would require an agency, as part of its rulemaking process, to make all information used in the creation of a rule publicly accessible, including all of the data. That would mean that any data that is considered confidential, such as health information or business records, would most likely become off limits. So, for example, an agency trying to create labeling requirements for toxic chemicals wouldn't be able to use a study that uses personal health data as long as that data is deemed confidential. New scientific methods and data could be restricted because the information includes data protected by intellectual property laws. When we passed the Secret Science Act on a partisan vote last March, I mentioned in my opposition that it would force the EPA to choose between protecting our health and environment and maintaining the privacy of patient medical records and the confidentiality of business records. And if that argument isn't enough, let's consider the costs.…”