Environmental groups, states and cities are urging the Trump administration to give the public more time to weigh in on key agency rules as almost all sectors of society are focused on the coronavirus pandemic. While many of the policies the groups are concerned about are related to the environment, their calls underscore broader frustrations that rulemaking is proceeding at a time when the outbreak is consuming the country. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it will go on with “business as usual” for its regulations, and the Interior Department has said it will evaluate its actions on a “case-by-case basis.” One of the proposals that’s making its way through the rulemaking process is the EPA’s Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science rule, sometimes called the “secret science” rule, which limits consideration of studies that don’t make their underlying data public. Attorneys general from 13 states and several cities recently wrote a letter to the EPA asking for at least a 120-day comment period on the proposal, as opposed to the current 30-day period for input. To view the full article visit the Hill.
