Rep. LaMalfa Votes to Increase Transparency and Oversight in EPA Rulemaking

Washington, DC – Rep. LaMalfa (R-CA) today voted in favor of legislation that would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing any regulations unless all scientific and technical information is made publically available in a manner that is sufficient for independent analysis and reproduction of research results. The EPA currently refuses to release all data and information used to create new regulations, depriving the public of information that could be used to justify challenge such decisions. 

"From deciding how Americans can operate a business, maintain roads, or simply continue their day-to-day activities, the EPA has shown very little hesitancy in attempting to regulate activities of the American people in increasing detail,” said LaMalfa.  “Despite many of these purely bureaucratic rules having no scientific basis, or even legal justification, the impacts are real.”

“This common-sense legislation ends the pattern of closed-door rulemaking and ensures taxpayers, who often foot the bill of these costly regulations, have full access to the science used in the decision-making,” LaMalfa added. “We simply cannot continue to allow unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington continue to use secrecy and deception as tools to advance an agenda which appeals exclusively to far-left environmental groups.”

H.R. 4012 passed the House of Representatives today on a 237-190 vote and will be sent to the Senate.

Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties. 

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