Paul Tonko: “The Union of Concerned Scientists has recently said that ``the bill effectively prevents the EPA from using the weight…”

“The Union of Concerned Scientists has recently said that ``the bill effectively prevents the EPA from using the weight of scientific evidence to protect public health and the environment.'' They go on to say ``this doesn't make sense.'' I agree. This doesn't make any sense. Instead, I hope that, as a Congress, we can turn our attention to truly protecting scientific integrity. We must protect the scientific process from political interference, which is why I recently introduced the Scientific Integrity Act, which will require our United States Federal agencies to adopt or strengthen policies to insulate government-directed research from the influence of political pressure and special interests. Under the Scientific Integrity Act, Federal agencies that conduct or fund scientific research would be required to develop clear, written scientific integrity policies that can guarantee research is being done and published without undue influence, censorship, or distortion. Scientific and technological information would be able to flow more easily while protecting privacy, confidentiality, and our national security. Twenty-four separate Federal agencies have developed scientific integrity policies to date. This legislation would also codify and strengthen these policies within a common framework.…”