Smith Subpoenas EPA Partners with Ag Comm. Sid Miller on EPA Regulation Roundtable

Smith Miller announce details for Wednesday April 8^th EPA Regulation Roundtable AUSTIN Texas (Texas Insider Report) The EPAs pattern of withholding concealing and possibly destroying records must come to an end. We all want clean air and clean water yet the EPA has avoided transparency at every turn said chairman of the House Science Space & Technology Committee Cong. Lamar Smith (R-TX) last week after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refused to hand over information related to almost 6000 deleted text messages linked to the agencys top official. Smith announced he is subpoenaing the agency as part of his continuing fight to increase EPA transparency fight costly new EPA ozone regs and put Congressional accountability on the agencys plans for sweeping new water rules. I applaud Chairman Smith said Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller. We Texans must stand together to stop the EPA from enacting rules to unnecessarily regulate water on our farms and ranches. This will result in a total erosion of state and individual property rights.

For details on Smith & Millers Reining in the EPA: A Regulation Roundtable" event in Kerrville Texas on Wednesday April 8^th CLICK HERE.  

In announcing the Committees subpoena Smith said the agency had repeatedly refused to share information with Congress which has oversight authority related to almost 6000 deleted text messages linked to the agencys top official EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. And this is not the first time the agency has come under fire for lack of openness Smith said. In 2012 former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was caught using a fake email address alias and Smith has previously subpoenaed the agency for failure to turn over information related to costly ozone regulations. On March 2 2015 a federal court issued an opinion raising concerns about the agencys process for responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and calling the EPAs handling of a 2012 FOIA request suspicious." The Center for Effective Government gave the EPA a grade of D" in its most recent report for poor performance in giving access to information.

As chairman of the House Science Space & Technology Committee I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that agencies like the EPA are operating in the most efficient effective and accountable manner possible said Chairman Smith. I invite Texans to join me at this event to share their stories and hear how we are working at the local state and federal level to rein in the EPAs overreach. We need policies that serve the taxpayer not an extreme political agenda. That is why I am subpoenaing the EPA and that is why I am hosting the Regulation Roundtable in Kerrville on April 8^th" Smith said.

The event will be held at the Cailloux Theater in Kerrville Texas on Wednesday April 8^th from 7 to 8:30 pm.

• WHO: Congressman Lamar Smith Chairman of the House Science Space & Technology Committee
  • Special guest Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller
• WHAT: Reining in the EPA: A Regulation Roundtable
• WHEN: Wednesday April 8^th 7 - 8:30 p.m.
• WHERE: Cailloux Theater: 910 Main Street  Kerrville TX 78028
• Those wishing to attend the Regulation Roundtable are encouraged to RSVP through Smiths website.

Earlier this month the House approved Smiths Secret Science Reform Act to increase transparency and accountability at the EPA. Smiths legislation would require the EPA to base all regulations on scientific data that is open to the public something the agency has refused to do up to this point.

I applaud Chairman Smith for calling this regulation roundtable. As Texans we must stand together to stop EPA from enacting rules to unnecessarily regulate certain waters on our farms and ranches said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. This overreach will result in a total erosion of state and individual property rights. It will cripple our economy and damage the free enterprise system. Plus it will burden our farmers ranchers and private landowners with undue hardship. Texans understand that clean water is important. Farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists and best stewards of the land. Thats how they earn their livelihood and they know how to protect the land far better than some bureaucrats in Washington. I look forward to hearing from Texans in the Hill Country on how we can build a coalition to protect our freedoms."

A 2013 poll from the Institute of Energy Research found that 90 of Americans agree that studies and data used to make federal government decisions should be public. Last year Smith exposed extensive maps of U.S. waters and wetlands that the EPA commissioned and tried to keep hidden while working to update its controversial Waters of the U.S. Rule. Additionally the Science Committees Subcommittees on Oversight and Environment held a hearing last week titled Destruction of Records at EPA When Records Must Be Kept. The hearing was called to clarify when the Federal Records Act applies to certain information and how it has been implemented at the EPA. Those wishing to attend the Regulation Roundtable are encouraged to RSVP through Smiths website.