“EPA this afternoon convened a virtual hearing on its scientific integrity policy, following a Biden memo directing the agency to review all past allegations.
Science groups and other advocates have welcomed the approach but stressed some shortcomings.
For one, the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility said EPA’s scientific integrity policies fail to include any adjudication mechanisms, rendering them somewhat futile.
“The current toothless policies protect neither science nor scientists,” said PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse, pointing out that there are virtually no examples of a manager or political appointee being punished. “If there is no penalty for violation, why have these policies?””
