Trump Administration Eviscerates EPA Advisory Board

BRANDI BUCHMAN
May 8, 2017

WASHINGTON (CN) – The Trump administration on Monday said it will not reappoint half the expert members of a board that advises the Environmental Protection Agency on the integrity of its science.

Deborah Swackhamer, chairwoman of the EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors, said on Monday that nine of the 18 experts on the board will not see their contracts renewed for another three-year term.

The terms of the affected board members officially ended on April 30, but in past administrations, reappointment to the panel was virtually automatic and thus carried out with little fanfare.

The board is comprised of top academic experts in a variety of environment-related fields, and the board’s role is to ensure that the EPA carries out its mission based on the best available science.

J.P. Freire, a spokesman for the agency, said the Trump administration is currently looking for nominees who better match the goals of the president.

“The administrator believes we should have people on this board who understand the impact of regulations on the regulated community, Freire told The New York Times.

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