West Virginia Attorney General issued the following announcement on Apr. 14.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey raised concern Wednesday with federal regulators who have purged every member of two influential scientific advisory boards, leading to questions about the objectivity of the advice these boards will give going forward.
The Attorney General outlined his concerns in a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan. It asks why Administrator Regan had fired all members of the Science Advisory Board and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, even though many of its members had served Democrat and Republican administrations.
The Attorney General contends the unprecedented and comprehensive nature of the recent purge raises troubling questions about its motives and the future of both boards.
“In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever that SAB and CASAC remain free of political influence,” Attorney General Morrisey wrote. “Pressure cannot be allowed to steer the Agency away from comprehensive, objective, and scientific assessment of both the problem and the proposed solutions.”
The Attorney General expressed particular concern since, due to the advisory boards’ objective and technical nature, these boards are often unmoved by the political waves of a new party winning the White House. This customary continuity meant many of the purged SAB members were initially appointed under President Obama and reappointed under President Trump.
The letter, in underscoring the importance of SAB’s objectivity, notes the board’s role in establishing guidelines for how EPA measures the impact of its rules on regional employment. For instance, it argues West Virginia has witnessed firsthand how EPA decisions involving coal mining can increase employment in one region or sector of the economy, while devastating another community and the jobs it relies upon.
The letter seeks a credible explanation as to why the EPA administrator took this action. Otherwise, it argues taxpayers might rightly wonder whether objectivity or politics will inform the agency’s decisions in the years to come.
The Attorney General’s letter also reiterates his willingness to file suits against any EPA actions that are unsupported by objective and reasoned decision making.
Original source can be found here.