The EPA’s inspector general is seeking to escalate a dispute over the agency’s refusal to implement policy changes aimed at preventing political interference in science-based decisions. The watchdog is now seeking to involve EPA’s Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, taking the recommendation-resolution process to the next level.
Last year, the Office of Inspector General found that former President Donald Trump’s political appointees had interfered with a toxicity assessment for PFBS, a chemical in the “forever chemicals” family. As a result, Inspector General Sean O’Donnell recommended that the agency update its scientific integrity policy.
One of the proposed changes includes adding “political interference” as a mandatory reporting category, which would require an immediate complaint to be sent to the inspector general. This move is meant to enhance transparency and prevent outside influences from compromising the scientific integrity of the decisions made by the EPA.