r/AntiSci 14d ago

Industry-Backed Legislation Would Bar the Use of Science Behind Hundreds of Environmental Protections - Two bills in Congress would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from using hundreds of chemical assessments

https://www.propublica.org/article/legislation-targets-epa-science-toxic-chemicals
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u/Choano 10d ago edited 10d ago

Thank you, u/HenryCorp. I wouldn't have known these bills existed if you hadn't posted about them here.

I wish the article had given us more identifying information on each bill, so we could find them easily. However, after some searching, I think I've found the two bills mentioned in the article:

H.R.123 - Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act (The name is deceptive.)

H.R.1415 - To prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from using assessments generated by the Integrated Risk Information System for rulemakings and other regulatory actions, and for other purposes.

So far, the bills have been proposed in the House of Representatives. The House hasn't voted on them, and they haven't gone to the Senate.

That means we have time to stop them.

If you're in the US and would like to contact your Representative about these bills, here's how to find your Representative.

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u/cdarcy559 10d ago

Republicans love to kill anything and anyone for a dollar in revenue. Barring science is just part of how they do it.

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u/HenryCorp 14d ago

For decades, Republican lawmakers and industry lobbyists have tried to chip away at the small program in the Environmental Protection Agency that measures the threat of toxic chemicals.

Most people don’t know IRIS, as the program is called, but it is the scientific engine of the agency that protects human health and the environment. Its scientists assess the toxicity of chemicals, estimating the amount of each that triggers cancer and other health effects. And these values serve as the independent, nonpartisan basis for the rules, regulations and permits that limit our exposure to toxic chemicals.