WASHINGTON - House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) released the following statement today in response to a white paper the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on the chemical glyphosate. The white paper, which will be reviewed by a Scientific Advisory Panel, corroborates the findings of EPA’s Cancer Assessment Review Committee that glyphosate is not likely carcinogenic. Despite the fact that the EPA continues to arrive at this result, the agency has not finalized any of its studies and continues to draw out its assessment of glyphosate.
Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas): “It is encouraging that the EPA’s recently released analysis of glyphosate reiterates the original conclusions of the agency’s Cancer Assessment Review Committee, stating that glyphosate is not likely carcinogenic. However, it is frustrating that it took the agency a year to convene a Scientific Advisory Panel to review the science that continued to support the original findings. The Science Committee will continue to conduct necessary oversight on the process that EPA is undertaking to review glyphosate and I hope that the SAP conducts its review in a swift manner, and without political interference.”
Background
On June 7, Chairman Smith sent a letter to the EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting transcribed interviews with four EPA employees to better understand the process the EPA used to evaluate the chemical glyphosate.
In April, the EPA posted what appeared to be the final risk assessment for glyphosate prepared by the Cancer Assessment Review Committee (CARC). EPA subsequently removed the report from its website stating it was posted “inadvertently.” The report was clearly marked as “Final Report” and signed by the thirteen members of CARC. The CARC report found that glyphosate was not likely to be carcinogenic.