Congressman Robert Hurt Votes to Reform the Environmental Protection Agency

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert Hurt (R-Virginia) released the following statement after voting in favor of two bills to reform the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): H.R. 1029, the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act and H.R. 1030, the Secret Science Reform Act:

"Every day, senseless EPA regulations gravely hinder job growth and continue to make life more difficult for family farms and small businesses in Virginia's Fifth District.  Many of these regulations fail to meet the basic standards for transparency and accountability demanded and deserved by the American people.  At a time when we must be doing all we can to make it easier for our small businesses to create the jobs our local communities need, I share my constituents' frustrations.  

"I was pleased that this week, the House passed two bills to reform the way the EPA imposes rules and regulations on the American people.  These bills represent a positive step forward in ensuring that the EPA cannot whimsically institute politically motivated regulations that fail to consider the broad reaching negative effects on American businesses.  I was proud to support these commonsense bills and see them pass the House with bipartisan support.  I urge our colleagues in the Senate to consider these bills and work with us to send these necessary reforms to the President's desk." 

·         The EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act would establish qualifications for members of the EPA's Science Advisory Board, reinforce its independence, facilitate public participation in the Board's advisory activities, and require that any policy advice offered from the Board can be distinguished from scientific determinations.

·         The Secret Science Reform Act would prohibit the EPA from proposing regulations unless all scientific and technical information relied on to support the action is thoroughly vetted to be the best available science, specifically identified, and publicly available.