Week ahead: EPA chief on hot seat over ‘secret science’ claims

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will face off against an old foe on Capitol Hill next week. 

McCarthy is slated to testify before the House Science Committee on Wednesday about the use of “secret science” at the EPA. The topic is one near and dear to committee Chairman Lamar Smith’s (R-Texas) heart.

{mosads}Smith sponsored a bill last year requiring the EPA make public the research it uses to write environmental rules. Republicans have long accused the EPA of using so-called secret science to write rules without giving the public and their opponents the opportunity to scrutinize the research.     

The Obama administration pushed back against Smith’s bill when the House passed it last spring, saying it would “impose arbitrary, unnecessary, and expensive requirements” and impede the EPA. The agency itself doesn’t comment on pending legislation, but McCarthy is likely to vigorously defend her agency’s scientific work in the face of criticism from committee Republicans on Wednesday. 

Other congressional committees will consider a hodgepodge of environmental issues next week.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider implementation problems for the Renewable Fuel Standard, a favorite target for many Republicans. The House Natural Resources Committee will meet to scrutinize the role of the National Environmental Policy Act in the permitting process.

In the Senate, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hear from Neil Kornze, the director of the Bureau of Land Management, who will testify on the BLM’s land use planning strategies. The Environment and Public Works panel will consider compliance measures for the new EPA ozone standards.

The energy community continues to wait on a formal decision in the Senate to join an energy reform bill conference committee with the House. The Chamber of Commerce on Monday sent the Senate a letter urging members to move quickly on forming a conference committee, and despite some behind-the-scenes work this week, members were apparently no closer to voting than they were before the letter. 

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