Barrasso calls for a Senate Investigation into EPA activities
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) has called for a Senate investigation into the silencing of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and Small Business Administration lawyers by the Administration.
"It is clear that there is a culture of intimidation in the EPA. They have ignored, and willfully blocked warnings from their own scientists, their own economists and their own lawyers," Barrasso said.
This spring, the Obama Administration strongly reacted to revelations that their own attorneys had serious concerns about regulating climate change using the Clean Air Act.
"These concerns were both economic and scientific and were ignored by top officials in the Administration," Barrasso said.
"This is unacceptable behavior for any Administration, let alone one that claims to support openness. Unfortunately, the culture of intimidation has now become a pattern."
A new EPA study has surfaced questioning the science underlying its own proposed endangerment finding. Dr. Alan Carlin, a PhD economist in the EPA's Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation authored the report.
Carlin questioned a number of inconsistencies in the EPA's scientific data. He also questioned why the EPA has relied entirely on outside scientific research to make its conclusions.
"Rather than incorporate Dr. Carlin's scientific findings and listen to his warnings, his EPA superiors tried to silence him," Barrasso said.
The EPA actions are highlighted in yesterday's Wall Street Journal: "The EPA Silences a Climate Skeptic." (Article attached)
"The EPA has ignored, and willfully blocked, warnings from their own scientists, their own economists and their own lawyers," Barrasso said.
"As Ranking Member of the EPW Oversight Subcommittee, I believe we can no longer allow this type of behavior to go unchecked. Behavior where the best advice and counsel is ignored, blocked and kept hidden from the public."
Barrasso has requested EPW Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Whitehouse launch a Senate investigation (Letter attached).
"A culture of intimidation has no justification in any Administration. This Administration has publicly promised to hold itself to a standard of openness, transparency and accepting of opinions from individuals with differing opinions," Barrasso said.
"So far this Administration has failed to make the grade."
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