If Wheeler truly cared about transparency, he would petition the Trump administration to change the name of his agency to “Every Polluter’s Ally.” Read more >
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
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signs the so-called Affordable Clean Energy rule, replacing the Obama-era Clean Power Plan that would have reduced coal-fired plant carbon emissions. Photo: EPA
10 Ways Andrew Wheeler Has Decimated EPA Protections in Just One Year
Elliott Negin, senior writer
July 15, 2019 9:30 AM EDT
Two Major Takeaways from the Second Dietary Guidelines Public Meeting
Sarah Reinhardt, Food Systems & Health Analyst
July 12, 2019 4:37 PM EDT
This week, the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee convened for its second public meeting at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The committee is charged with developing a scientific report that will lay the foundation for the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans—the ninth edition of science-based nutrition recommendations that shape the food choices made by millions of kids, parents, and seniors every day. Read more >
Don’t Fall for Atkins PR Ploy: For Healthy Diets, We Need Strong Government Support
Sarah Reinhardt, Food Systems & Health Analyst
July 12, 2019 12:07 PM EDT
Readers with an interest in food and health might have been intrigued by full-page ads in the New York Times and Washington Post calling for an overhaul of our nation’s official Dietary Guidelines for Americans. After all, as the ad argues, national obesity and diabetes rates have more than doubled since introduction of the Dietary Guidelines in 1980. They must be doing something wrong. Read more >
PFAS Amendments Form a Blueprint for Remedying National Toxic Threat
Genna Reed, Lead science and policy analyst
July 11, 2019 1:42 PM EDT
The House of Representatives will vote today on the inclusion of several PFAS-related amendments to the House National Defense Authorization Act that will help us to understand the extent of the PFAS public health threat and its health impacts, limit current PFAS pollution, and clean up legacy contamination on DOD and Superfund sites and nearby communities. These are all commonsense measures that should have already been in place to protect us from these chemicals, but because of a failure of our regulatory system and industry hiding scientific data on its products, we have waited too long for policy remedies. Read more >
Image: C-SPAN
Censoring a Senior Analyst at the State Department for Telling the Truth is a Damned Shame
Andrew Rosenberg, director, Center for Science & Democracy
July 10, 2019 5:35 PM EDT
Think of it. You are an accomplished scientist in academia and decide to serve your country by going into public service. You do your job, advising the State Department, the Administration and Congress on critical security risks like climate change, based on a huge amount of well-established evidence. But then the White House censors your testimony to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, apparently on the theory that if it doesn’t get in the Congressional Record the risks will dissipate. What do you do? Read more >
