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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Did the Trump administration move to reduce the number of scientists on EPA advisory boards?

By Esther Tsvayg
YES

From 2017 to 2019, the share of academic members on the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board dropped by 27 percentage points, according to a 2019 review by the Government Accountability Office. On the Board of Science Counselors, the decline was 45 points. The changes resulted from an EPA decision in 2017 to bar the appointment of any academic researchers receiving funding from the EPA.

The GAO report also found notable changes in membership balance on two other committees of 18 it examined.

Outside groups, objecting to the diminished role for scientists in agency policy reviews, filed multiple lawsuits to block the changes. After losing its third court decision in June, the EPA announced it would revert to its pre-2017 policies, but not make any immediate changes to the committees' current members.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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