Political Quotes

“I would like to thank Ms. Johnson for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1030, the Secret Science Reform Act of 2015, a short bill, which I have read, with a long list of problems. I want to start by applauding the sponsors of the bill for their focus on and goal of transparency. It is something our constituents care about and deserve. But transparency is something that we should accomplish through collaboration and with input from the scientific community. This bill, on the contrary, is opposed, for good reason, by research institutions and scientists from across the country. Mr. Chairman, we received a lot of feedback from outside groups, and I am going to place into the Record after my remarks some letters we have received from groups opposing H.R. 1030 from organizations like the American Association for Justice, Public Citizen, the National Physicians Alliance, the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, and others. Instead of working together to find a solution that increases transparency and access to federally funded research, the Secret Science Reform Act instead has the potential, in the long term, to compromise the health and well-being of Americans, and here is why: the Secret Science Reform Act, which looks simple on its face, will actually encumber, if not eradicate, the EPA's ability to perform its most fundamental duty: protecting Americans from significant risks to their health and to the environment.…”