EPA imagines the OCSPP Science Policy Council as providing an “advisory perspective” on scientific integrity, looking at issues at are of “broad interest within OCSPP for informal review” while also fostering informal opportunities for scientific collaboration.
Advocates see the move as a step in the right direction but note that problems within OCSPP run deep. “While these processes and procedures can improve the situation within the offices, they cannot change the culture within the agency,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) to The Intercept. “The core problem at EPA that needs to be addressed is that mid-level managers who violate scientific integrity rules and policies need to be held accountable. And that does not appear to be happening.”
