II.10 Conclusion

Providing the public and the regulated community fair access to the data underlying studies upon which federal policy is based should be a goal for all parties concerned. The new data access law is well grounded in terms of sound public policy, the advancement of the scientific enterprise and notions of basic equity. The American people have a right to know why their government is implementing the laws and regulations that it is. Taxpayers, who after all fund the research, ought to be able to examine the results of this work. Moreover, as ample precedents have demonstrated, data access is not only good for society, it is widely supported throughout the government, the research community, and the major science publications.

Admittedly, OMB faces a number of challenges as it goes about revising Circular A-110 and implementing the intent of Congress. CRE believes, however, that each of these challenges can and will be met if a spirit of cooperation prevails. We have attempted in these comments to provide answers and recommendations on some of the more compelling concerns, and we stand ready to engage with OMB, the research community and other interested parties on the data access issue.

A copy of these comments, and instructions for submitting feedback to CRE, will be placed on the CRE website, www.TheCRE.com. We encourage your comments.