Jan. 5, 2020 – The American Thoracic Society opposes the EPA’s final rule on Data Transparency issued in the waning days of the Trump Administration. The final rule, which is the focus of a press conference today, is a continuation of the Trump Administration's persistent attack on the science showing the adverse health effects of environmental pollution. This rule would exclude vital scientific data from future EPA decision-making and make patient confidential information more vulnerable to public disclosure.
“It is bad policy, bad process and ultimately, bad for the health of the American public,” said Mary Rice, MD, MPH, chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee.
“The EPA was unresponsive to public comments throughout the rulemaking process that identified numerous critical flaws in their proposal, failed to account for the enormous costs that will be imposed by the rule, and struggled to identify clear legal authority to take this action; in short they have put together a perfect recipe for this action to be overturned by the courts,” said Kevin Cromar, PhD, vice-chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee.
The ATS calls on the incoming Biden Administration to not wait on the courts and instead take action to rescind this ill-considered final rule.
