Critics Float Legal Theories To Challenge Pruitt's Science Advisor Policy

摘要

House Democrats and a Columbia University law professor are detailing possible legal arguments that could be used to challenge Administrator Scott Pruitt's controversial new directive barring scientists who are receiving an EPA research grant from serving on one of its scientific advisory committees. In a Nov. 3 letter to Pruitt, top leaders of the House science and energy and commerce committees charged that the policy appears to violate the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which is generally intended to ensure that advisory committees are balanced, as well as conflict of interest regulations set by the General Services Agency and the Office of Government Ethics (OGE).