WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is scrutinizing studies or data published by scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, and new work is under a “temporary hold” before it can be released.
The communications director for President Donald Trump’s transition team at EPA says the review extends to all existing content on the federal agency’s website, including details of scientific evidence showing that the Earth’s climate is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame.
Doug Ericksen clarified his earlier statements to The Associated Press, which reported that the Trump administration was mandating that any studies or data from EPA scientists undergo review by political appointees before they can be released to the public. He says he was speaking about existing scientific information on the EPA website that is under review by members of the Trump administration’s transition team.
He says new work by the agency’s scientists is subject to the same “temporary hold” as other kinds of public releases, which he said would likely be lifted by Friday. He says there is no mandate to subject studies or data to political review.
