The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has released a toolkit to help scientists convene independent science advisory committees (SACs) to continue the work of critical federal committees disbanded by the Trump administration.
These committees, made up of the country’s best scientists in academia, state and local governments, industry, and nonprofits, provide federal agencies with the most up-to-date, robust scientific and technical advice.
Since the president took office, dozens of SACs have been eliminated or consolidated. They include a committee charged with protecting the public from poisoning by poor food safety practices, a committee created in response to reports of scientific integrity violations at the U.S. Geological Survey, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration committees that provide expertise on space, climate change and marine life. These scientific advisors help federal agencies make decisions based on the best available science.
“The scientists on these panels are at the forefront of the issues federal agencies are grappling with, from public health threats to activities of the commercial sector in space,” said Dr. Melissa Finucane, vice president for science and innovation at UCS and lead author of the toolkit. “We wanted to make sure that these committees can continue the important work they’re doing, whether through a terminated Science Advisory Committee that’s reconvened, or a different group of highly qualified experts.”
Scientists who want to convene a dismantled committee can look to the toolkit for information on how to ensure the committee is independent and rigorous, the best practices for running a SAC, and how to continue scientific progress in assessing and addressing complex social-environmental issues.
Continuing SACs in the absence of federal leadership can create an opportunity for public input on critical scientific topics, help counter misinformation in the public sphere, and allow scientific progress and consensus building to continue, according to the toolkit. The committees also can provide scientific advice for decisionmakers at other levels of government and have recommendations at the ready for future decisionmakers when the opportunity arises.
The EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) was disbanded during the last Trump administration, but the work continued via a self-organized independent group of scientists with relevant expertise. This independent panel was chaired by toolkit co-author Dr. Christopher Frey, and UCS helped convene one of its meetings. The committee’s recommendations on fine particulate matter were delivered to the EPA administrator in a public comment submission. That public record was available to decisionmakers in other jurisdictions as well as the subsequent presidential administration.
UCS plans to share the toolkit with scientific societies and hold a webinar walking through its uses for UCS Science Network members on May 22.
For more information, see Finucane’s blog post “Federal Science Advisory Committees Are Being Defunded and Dismantled. Here’s a Toolkit to Help Independent Scientists Step Up.”