EPA bars reporters from toxic chemicals summit again

EPA staff Wednesday morning barred POLITICO and reporters from at least two other publications from entering a national summit on toxic chemicals. The agency at the first day of the event on Tuesday allowed a select group of reporters to cover the first hour of introductory remarks, including by Administrator Scott Pruitt, but then escorted press out. EPA reversed its decision to ban media after news coverage of the policy and reports from the Associated Press that one of its journalists was forcibly ejected from the building by a security guard. Reporters were invited back for the afternoon. The event, where attendees are discussing whether and how to regulate a class of chemicals linked to immune disorders and certain cancers, included federal and state officials, health groups and industry interests on Tuesday. Wednesday, it is limited to the agencies that handle chemical oversight and state regulators, according to an EPA statement. But the Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that “any committee, board, commission, council, conference, panel, task force, or other similar group, or any subcommittee or other subgroup” used by an agency to provide recommendations to the federal government should be open to the public. Reporters from E&E News and Crown Publishing earlier Wednesday morning waited outside the meeting and were not permitted to enter. “The National Leadership Summit on PFAS scheduled is not a federal advisory committee event,” EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox argued in an emailed statement. “The purpose of this event is for EPA’s state, tribal, and federal government partners and national organizations to share a range of individual perspectives on the Agency’s actions to date and path forward on [the chemicals]. The Agency looks forward to hearing from all stakeholders on these crucial issues.” source: https://ift.tt/2J2ls5S #Headlines by: eholden@politico.com (Emily Holden) Original Post: https://ift.tt/2J2ls5S https://ift.tt/2kinwcb
source: https://droolindognews.blogspot.com/2018/05/epa-bars-reporters-from-toxic-chemicals.html