EPA’s inspector general is looking to step up a tiff over the agency’s refusal to adopt policy changes meant to counteract political interference in science-based decisions.
The watchdog is now angling to involve EPA’s second in command, Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, elevating it to the next step in the recommendation-resolution process.
When the Office of Inspector General concluded last year that former President Donald Trump’s political appointees tampered with a toxicity assessment for PFBS, a chemical in the “forever chemicals” family, Inspector General Sean O’Donnell recommended the agency update its scientific integrity policy.
By adding “political interference” as a mandatory reporting category, it would require an immediate complaint be sent to the inspector general.