It’s Time to Ensure EPA Bases Regulations on Public Data | TexasGOPVote

"The Environmental Protection Agency, like every other government institution, should be accountable to the American people. Everyone agrees that we need to protect our environment, but we should do so in a way that is honest and relies on good science. The EPA is moving forward with new, multi-billion dollar air quality regulations that are expected to be some of the most costly in U.S. history. Among the EPA’s new rules are strict limits on ozone, a subject the Science Committee examined in a hearing yesterday. We should all be concerned about the process the EPA uses to reach their conclusions. We heard from witnesses that implementation of the new ozone rule will cost billions of dollars and adversely affect many Americans. Yet, the EPA relied on studies with data that is not publicly available. This raises a lot of suspicions. It is Congress’s responsibility to ensure that these regulations are necessary, effective and responsible. We cannot do our job if the EPA bases regulations on data that is not available to Congress or the public. Time and again, this administration has eroded the American people’s trust with costly, ineffective, overreaching government programs based on political agendas. This is all the more reason that costly environmental regulations should be based upon data available to independent scientists and the public, and that can be verified. Regulations should not be based on undisclosed data. American taxpayers have a right to see the data and determine for themselves if these regulations are based on sound science or a partisan agenda."