Federal Court Rules Against EPA Attack on Independent Science

The U.S. EPA’s flag flies outside the Federal Triangle complex in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. — Today, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) illegally excluded independent scientists from its scientific advisory boards. The lawsuit was initially filed in 2017 by Earthjustice and the Columbia Environmental Law Clinic, on behalf of scientists and health professionals, and groups who represent them: Physicians for Social Responsibility, National Hispanic Medical Association, International Society for Children’s Health and the Environment, Edward Avol, Robyn Wilson, and Joe Arvai. It was appealed to the D.C. Circuit in 2019. The EPA policy that is the subject of the litigation claims that publicly funded academic scientists have a disqualifying conflict of interest, while allowing scientists paid by polluting industries to serve. Related cases filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Union of Concerned Scientists also challenge the same EPA policy as illegal and arbitrary. Comments from the Plaintiffs and Earthjustice “Today’s decision is a resounding win for science. The court reaffirmed the critical role of independent science committees at the Environmental Protection Agency, rejected this administration’s extreme argument that it has unreviewable discretion to dismiss independent scientists, and […]

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