The chief of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is under fire from Republicans on the House science committee for an editorial she wrote urging Americans to push for environmental protection laws, Science Magazine reports.
At issue is an essay published last December in the science journal PLOS Biology, in which NIEHS Director Linda Birnbaum asked that "engaged citizens, both scientists and nonscientists, work to ensure our government officials pass health-protective policies based on the best available scientific evidence."
GOP Reps. Lamar Smith of Texas and Andy Biggs of Arizona say Birnbaum may have violated the Anti-Lobbying Act because she is "prohibited to pressure citizens to contact their government representatives to favor or oppose any policy."
They add that Birnbaum used her NIEHS email address and did not include a disclaimer that she was not expressing her agency’s position. Birnbaum denies she violated ethics laws.
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