Industry groups are pressuring EPA to consider their views as the agency wraps up a long-anticipated update to its scientific integrity policy.
The guidelines — which have taken on higher significance given they could cement President Joe Biden’s legacy of protecting the agency’s research while shielding its scientists from political interference by a potential second Trump administration — are expected to be finalized later this year.
Francesca Grifo, EPA’s scientific integrity official, said in an interview with E&E News she wasn’t surprised the agency was peppered with comments from various sectors about the update. The policy, which guides how the agency conducts its science, could have widespread repercussions on the regulated community.
“When you’re a regulatory agency, we need to hear from all sides,” Grifo said. “Obviously, the decisions that we make have an impact.”
