"The cancellation of a meeting of top advisors to the agency’s scientific research arm, with no explanation or plans to reschedule, signals bad news for public health and the environment, say former advisors."
"In what appears to be the latest attack on the science and regulations that protect public health and the environment, the Trump administration notified top advisors to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific research arm that their first meeting of Trump’s second term was canceled.
The advisors received no explanation for why the meeting was canceled or any information about when, or if, it would be rescheduled. The cancellation follows news that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin plans to dismantle the agency’s Office of Research and Development, or ORD, and lay off most of its scientists, as first reported by The New York Times last month.
The Board of Scientific Counselors, or BOSC, is an independent federal advisory committee established in 1996 to serve the public interest by providing advice and recommendations “on all aspects” of the ORD’s research programs. The last time the BOSC Executive Committee met was last April, under the Biden administration.
Scientists and policymakers see the move as part of the administration’s efforts to dismantle the regulatory infrastructure of government and remove the experts who formulate and enforce the laws and rules designed to safeguard health and the environment."
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