Yogin Kothari

Washington representative, Center for Science and Democracy

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Yogin Kothari is a Washington representative with the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He advocates for science-based policy solutions on a number of issues, including the regulatory process, endangered species, and chemical safety. He also works to reduce political interference in federal science and increase transparency and accountability. A graduate of George Washington University, Kothari been with UCS since 2011. Previously, he worked on Capitol Hill before serving as lead assistant director at Grassroots Campaigns. See Yogin's full bio.

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Photo: US Department of Defense

Here are the “Transparency” Policy Documents the EPA Does Not Want You to See

April 21, 2018 11:20 AM EDT

On April 17th, the Union of Concerned Scientists obtained EPA records through three separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests demonstrating that a proposed Trojan horse “transparency” policy that would restrict the agency’s ability to use the best available science in decision-making is driven by politics, not science. The records also embarrassingly showed EPA officials were more concerned about the release of industry trade secrets than they were about sensitive private medical information.

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Internal EPA Emails Confirm that Scott Pruitt’s Secret Science Proposal Is Entirely Driven By Politics

April 19, 2018 5:30 PM EDT

EPA head Scott Pruitt is still finding ways to abandon the tools that the agency needs to do its job. His latest proposal, if it is ever released, is not scientifically driven and is simply a political ploy to undermine the EPA’s ability to use independent scientific analysis. Read more >

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A shell game
Photo: emilykbecker/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Flickr)

Competitive Enterprise Institute Counts Costs But Not Benefits of Safeguards—and Hopes You Won’t Notice

April 19, 2018 8:02 AM EDT

Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released another misleading “study” about the “costs” of regulation (read: science-based safeguards, public protections) while virtually ignoring the benefits. They do this every year because some reporters fall for it and it confirms what some elected officials and editorial boards want to believe. Policymakers and the public would be best served by ignoring the latest edition of this report that is nothing more than propaganda to promote the rolling back of science-based safeguards that protect public health, safety, and environment. Read more >

Photo: emilykbecker/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Flickr)
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The New Government Omnibus Spending Bill Shows that Science Advocacy Matters

March 22, 2018 2:43 PM EDT

After a long wait, late last night, Congress posted a spending agreement for the rest of the 2018 fiscal year. For the most part, we achieved significant victories, especially given the challenging political environment, in repelling proposals that would have directly undermined the role of science in public health and environmental policymaking.

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Congress must address gun violence safety

February 15, 2018 11:50 AM EDT

Over the next few weeks, as Congress works to finalize a spending bill for the rest of the 2018 fiscal year, and as it begins work on a spending bill for the 2019 fiscal year, there is one concrete thing that our elected officials can do to move the ball in the right direction. Congress must lift the ban restricting gun violence research and fund critical work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read more >

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