An advisory board filled with scientists who were mostly appointed by President Donald Trump is objecting to new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency that will lower fuel efficiency standards and make it easier to pollute groundwater.
The Washington Post reports that the EPA is set to blow off objections from its own Scientific Advisory Board, which released analyses on Tuesday claiming that the new regulatory decisions were not based on sound science.
For example, the board argues that a rollback of a rule that limits what kind of dredging or pesticide applications can be used near streams and wetlands "neglects established science" showing that these kinds of activities can end up polluting drinking water supplies.
Similarly, the board said that the EPA's goal of reducing fuel efficiency standards was "implausible" and based on faulty assumptions about the kinds of cars and trucks people would be driving by 2026.
This isn't the only instance of the Trump EPA allegedly ignoring scientists, either.
"More than a year ago, the EPA disbanded an expert panel charged with updating assessments of the public health risks posed by soot," the Post reports. "In December, EPA’s inspector general concluded it failed to analyze how a plan to loosen emissions standards for truck components would affect children’s health. And it is now drafting a rule to restrict which scientific studies it uses to develop public health policies."
