Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler took a parting shot Tuesday at media bias, accusing some journalists covering the agency of being “environmental activists masquerading as environmental reporters.”
“The American people’s trust in government and their trust in the media is at an all-time low, and who can blame them when they see politicians arguing over scientific facts and environmental activists masquerading as environmental reporters?” said Mr. Wheeler at a virtual forum hosted by the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute. “Who are they to believe?”
His comments came as he announced the signing of a rule on increasing regulatory transparency by giving priority to studies in which the data is publicly available and can be replicated, as well as identifying and making public the key research used in developing significant regulations.
Without naming names, Mr. Wheeler accused some reporters of mischaracterizing the rulemaking as an attempt to impose restrictions on scientific research, which he chalked up in part to advocacy journalism.
“As far as trying to explain this to the public, it is very difficult to break through at times with the media, particularly when you have environmental activists masquerading as environmental reporters at a number of outlets, where they have an agenda, and the agenda is not to present the truth at times,” Mr. Wheeler said. “So it has been hard to break through and explain to the American public what we’re doing.”
President-elect Joseph R. Biden has said he will nominate Michael Regan, a former Environmental Defense Fund staffer who heads North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, to lead the EPA.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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