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U.S. NEWS Saturday 30 January 2021
Judge blocks Trump rule to limit health studies in EPA regs

By MATTHEW DALY and higher mortality. The
Associated Press studies have been instru-
WASHINGTON (AP) — A mental in crafting health
federal judge has blocked and environmental rules
a last-minute rule issued by for decades. The Six Cit-
the Trump administration ies study led to new limits
to limit what evidence the on air pollutants under the
Environmental Protection Clean Air Act.
Agency may consider as it Ben Levitan, an attorney for
regulates pollutants to pro- the Environmental Defense
tect public health. Fund, which challenged
Former EPA Administrator the Trump rule in court, said
Andrew Wheeler said the the rule’s purpose was not
Jan. 6 rule was aimed at to promote transparency,
ending what he and other as Wheeler and other offi-
Republicans call “secret cials argued.
science.” Some industry “Its purpose and effect is to
and conservative groups disregard and devalue the
had long pushed for the harm pollutants and toxics
change, saying public cause, and therefore de-
health studies that hold prive the public of needed
confidential and potential- protection based on those
ly identifying data about studies,’’ Levitan said Fri-
test subjects should be President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in the Oval day.
made public so the under- Office of the White House, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Washington. Associated Press The Trump rule would re-
lying data can be scruti- strict regulators’ consider-
nized before the EPA issues and “capricious.” Mor- istration,’’ including the so- at the EPA, along with their ation of findings from pub-
rules aimed at protecting ris delayed the rule until called Strengthening Trans- colleagues at research in- lic health studies unless the
public health. at least Feb. 5, giving the parency in Pivotal Science stitutions around the coun- underlying data from them
Wheeler called the rule an new Biden administration rule, spokesman Ken Labbe try.’’ But the change was are made public. The rule
attempt to boost transpar- time to assess whether to said in a statement. so broadly written that it deals with so-called dose
ency about government go forward with it or make Wheeler defended the could limit not only future response findings, which
decision-making, but critics changes. rule, which was finalized in public health protections, look at harm suffered at
said it was hastily imposed An EPA spokesman said Fri- early January after years of but also “force the agen- varying exposures to a pol-
and would threaten patient day the agency is “commit- debate. cy to revoke decades of lutant or other toxic agent.
confidentiality and the pri- ted to making evidence- “If the American people clean air protections,” said The change, which was
vacy of individuals in public based decisions and de- are to be regulated by in- Chris Zarba, former head of made final without a re-
health studies that underlie veloping policies and pro- terpretation of these scien- the EPA’s Science Advisory quired 30-day notice,
federal regulations. grams that are guided by tific studies, they deserve to Board. came after hundreds of
U.S. District Judge Brian the best science.’’ scrutinize the data as part He and other critics said thousands of earlier objec-
Morris in Montana ruled EPA “will follow the science of the scientific process the rule jeopardized use of tions from scientists, public-
late Wednesday that the and law in accordance and American self-govern- public health studies, such health experts, regulators,
EPA had unlawfully rushed with the Biden-Harris ad- ment,” he wrote in a Jan. as Harvard’s 1990s Six Cities academics, environmental
the regulation, saying its ministration’s executive 4 op-ed in the Wall Street study, which drew on anon- advocates and others in
decision to make it final orders and other direc- Journal. “Transparency is a ymized, confidential health public hearings and writ-
just two weeks before then- tives in reviewing all of the defense of, not an attack data from thousands of ten remarks, in some of the
President Donald Trump agency’s actions issued on, the important work people to better establish strongest protests of a pro-
left office was “arbitrary” under the previous admin- done by career scientists links between air pollution posed EPA rule change.q

Fauci sees vaccination for kids by late spring or the summer

By R. ALONSO-ZALDIVAR of testing down to those population, and for the U.S.
and D. SUPERVILLE 9 years old. “Hopefully by to reach “herd immunity,”
ASSOCIATED PRESS the time we get to the late or widespread resistance,
WASHINGTON (AP) — The spring and early summer about 70% to 85% of the
government’s top infec- we will have children being population must be vac-
tious disease expert said able to be vaccinated,” cinated. “Children tend to
Friday he hopes to see Fauci said at a White House not become as severely
some kids starting to get coronavirus briefing. ill as adults but they can
vaccinated for COVID-19 Fauci was looking ahead still become ill and some
in the next few months. It’s to a time vaccines will be have tragically died,” said
a needed step to secur- plentiful. Even older adults Dr. Leana Wen, a public
ing widespread immunity are having difficulty getting health expert and emer-
to the virus. Vaccines are shots at the moment. As of gency room physician,
not yet approved for chil- Thursday, only about 1.3% who supports Fauci’s goal. In this image from video, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the
dren, but testing already of Americans had been “Children can also be vec- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief
is underway for those as fully vaccinated with the tors of transmission, and medical adviser to the president, speaks during a White House
briefing on the Biden administration’s response to the COVID-19
young as 12. If those trials required two doses of the getting children vaccinat- pandemic Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington.
are successful, Dr. Anthony currently available vac- ed is important as we strive Associated Press
Fauci said they would be cines. Children represent for herd immunity.” The Pfiz- emergency approval for Moderna’s vaccine is for

followed by another round about one-fourth of the er-BioNTech vaccine has use in people 16 and older. those 18 and older.q