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Attorney General Stein Calls Out Trump EPA For Censoring Scientific Data

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein speaks to reporters in 2017. (AP Photo/Emery Dalesio)

North Carolina's Attorney General has joined a coalition accusing the Trump Administration of “censoring science.”  

Attorney General Josh Stein is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw what he calls a “harmful and deeply flawed” proposal that would ban certain scientific studies from being used in the agency's decision-making process.

Stein, a Democrat, joined a 23-member coalition of states, counties and cities in a letter sent to acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.

The original proposal was submitted by former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The rule would exclude any scientific study whose underlying data isn't entirely available to the public, even if it's peer-reviewed.

Stein says in a statement, “Prioritizing strong science should be a no-brainer for the EPA."  Stein goes on to say, “This rule is silly, but its impact could be serious.”

The 33-page letter sent to Wheeler threatens a possible lawsuit if the proposal becomes a mandate.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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