OMB Chief John Graham Takes Aim at EPA’s PM Program
White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulatory chief John Graham has targeted EPA’s particulate matter research program in a “prompt letter” dated December 4, 2001.
The letter urges EPA to retarget their PM research program to focus on specific components of particulate matter that may be responsible for health problems.
EPA is already funding work in this area.
A copy of the letter may be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/epa_pm_research_prompt120401.html.
In October 2001, Graham suggested to a National Academy of Sciences panel that they recommend an revisons to the methodology EPA uses to calculate the health benefits of air pollution control regulations. In a presentation on October 8, Graham advocated that EPA assessments of the benefits of particulate matter reductions be based on daily time series studies rather than the prospective cohort studies of long-term chronic effects. This approach would greatly diminish the human health benefits estimates associated with pollution control regulations.
In addition, Graham suggested that the monetary value of lives saved be assessed using a quality adjusted life year (QALY) approach, as opposed to the current value of a statistical life (VSL) approach used by EPA. Graham seems to be implying that the current approach “over values” the lives of old people and sick people dying from air pollution.
Information on the work of the National Academy of Sciences panel is available at: http://www4.nas.edu/cp.nsf/Projects+_by+_PIN/BEST-K-00-04-A?OpenDocument.
