Science and Democracy

The partnership between science and democracy has played a huge role in U.S. history. But misinformation and attacks on science have strained that partnership. UCS science and democracy experts keep you informed on the latest developments, from Capitol Hill to local communities.


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Latest Science and Democracy Posts

Photo: US Department of Defense

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

, Washington representative, Center for Science and Democracy

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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Science on Wheels: Meeting a Scientist Right in Your Hometown

Arianna Soldati, Ph.D. Candidate, , UCS

April 20, 2018 4:16 PM EDT

I moved to Columbia, Missouri, home of the University of Missouri (Mizzou), five years ago, and I was impressed with the amount of science engagement activities available to the public. Any time of any day of the week there appeared to be something going on: Saturday Morning Science, Science Café on Monday nights, and Science on Tap on Tuesday evenings. An incredible variety of settings to pick and choose from, from auditoriums to cafés to breweries. Topics to satisfy all interests, from chemistry to astronomy to biology. Professors, grad students, undergrads—they were all involved in outreach. I couldn’t believe what a big role science played in the state. Read more >

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

, Washington representative, Center for Science and Democracy

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

, Washington representative, Center for Science and Democracy

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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Panel of speakers at the Opioid Epidemic Forum.

A Graduate Researcher’s (Brief) Guide to: Creating a Student Science Policy Group

Lyl Tomlinson, , UCS

April 18, 2018 1:45 PM EDT

Research, telescopes, and computer models may consume the thoughts of many STEM graduate students, but do you ever find yourself distracted by current events? Are you ever caught up in conversations about how to fix problems in society? Have you ever “geeked out” about research that influences laws or policy? If you’re a graduate student and this sounds familiar, you have options: 1) ignore your burning desire to do something or 2) start a science policy group. Read more >

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