Regulatory Decisions: New Guidance on Using Science and Risk Information
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Rayburn House Office Building
Summary
Transparent, accurate risk assessments are critical in helping federal agency decision makers make wise rules and policy decisions about environment, health, and safety matters. The policy context for this briefing concerned language proposed in a risk assessment bulletin by the OMB that would, if adopted, have become guidance for conducting the risk assessments that underpin regulatory decisions. The proposed language was built on recommendations from the National Academies (NA) and was an effort by the OMB to improve information disseminated by the government.
This panel engaged speakers who had developed or influenced the NA guidance and the OMB bulletin in a dialogue about the benefits and challenges associated with ensuring high-quality, transparent risk assessments and their impact on regulations.
Sponsors
The ACS Science & the Congress Project and the Society for Risk Analysis
Featured Speakers
Curtis Copeland, moderating Congressional Research Service | John Graham The RAND Corporation Past Administrator, OMB Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs |
Don Elliot Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP Past General Counsel U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Rena Steinzor University of Maryland School of Law Past Counsel, House Committee on Energy and Commerce |

Rena Steinzor, Curtis Copeland, John Graham, Don Elliot