On the recordMarch 18, 2015
I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, it is time to end the era of secret science within the Environmental Protection Agency. This bill before us, H.R. 1030, does just that. As the Representative of a very diverse district in Texas with timber; agricultural interests; four ports, including the Port of Houston; and more petrochemical plants than any other in the United States, I rise in strong support of this bill. I cosponsored this bill because I believe that the American people deserve a greater level of accountability from the EPA and less bureaucratic regulation and dodging the facts. Let the facts speak for themselves. Transparency is one of the fundamental tenets of science. I have a biology degree. I have had plenty of science, chemistry, and physics--I am a dentist--medicine. If they have the facts, there is no need to hide them. The EPA spends about $8 billion a year in taxpayer money, and I believe that the taxpayers of the United States have a right to know just how their hard-earned money is being spent. As new sets of data are created, I hope that this level of transparency will encourage researchers, companies, and nonprofits towards a greater level of openness. The President committed that his administration would be the most transparent administration in history. Unfortunately, I believe this administration has fallen short of this goal.…
