Comer Investigates the National Academy of Sciences for Undermining the EPA

WASHINGTON-House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is investigating the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's (National Academies) decision to "fast-track" a review of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) rescinding of its 2009 Endangerment Finding without authorization from a U.S. government agency. In a letter to National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt, Chairman Comer requests documents and communications related to the fast-track review and any potential partisan bias within it.

"The National Academies, without any apparent request from a U.S. Government agency or entity, announced on August 7 that it would conduct a fast-tracked review of evidence gathered since 2009 for whether greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare, and pledged to complete and publicly release its report in September. In 1863, Congress established the National Academy of Sciences as a federally chartered corporation to provide independent, objective advice on science for the United States Government at its request," wrote Chairman Comer. "This decision appears to be inconsistent with the purpose of the National Academies and a blatant partisan act to undermine the Trump Administration. With such an unprecedented short timeline for reviewing evidence gathered over a 16-year period, the Committee is additionally concerned that the results of this study have been predetermined."

Previous administrations used the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which declared that greenhouse gas emissions are a pollutant subject to federal regulation, to drive left-wing policy goals and heavily regulate emissions from automobiles, aircraft, agriculture equipment, and fossil fuel producers. These regulations, like electric vehicle mandates, for example, produced an aggregate cost of more than $1 trillion and vastly increased energy costs for American consumers. Members of the National Academy of Sciences committee appeared to exhibit partisan bias when conducting the fast-track review of the Endangerment Finding and failed to disclose their conflicts of interest despite the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requiring them to do so. Since no U.S. federal agency requested or authorized the review, the House Oversight Committee is concerned that the study was conducted at the behest of private donors who often hold radical left-wing views on climate change.

"The Committee is concerned that this study is being conducted with partisan aims in mind, as the National Academy of Sciences has made several questionable decisions in past years while under [Ms. McNutt's] leadership, exposing potential partisan bias. In 2021, the organization endorsed President Biden's selection for his Top Science Advisor, despite his history of failing to disclose conflicts of interest and understating the contributions of his colleagues in developing a biotechnology. The organization has also conducted politicized DEI-focused research and studies. Members of the committee conducting this fast-tracked study have also shown partisan bias," concluded Chairman Comer. "Given these positions and affiliations, it is unlikely these individuals can conduct an impartial scientific review and the Committee has serious concerns that the National Academy of Sciences appears to be enabling the aforementioned partisan conflicts of interest."

Read the letter to the National Academy of Sciences here.