Federal:
The EPA’s Science Advisory Board voted on May 31, 2018 to review two recent proposals by EPA administrator Scott Pruitt: (1) to require that only publicly-available data be used to make environmental regulations, and (2) to repeal the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. Since public health data are often restricted to protect patient privacy, there is concern regarding the implications for public health policies under this proposed rule. The public comment period, initially slated to close on May 30, is now open until Aug 16. Comments may be submitted here; search for Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OA-2018-0259. Read more about this coverage from Nature news and the EPA press release.