OMB Defends Peer Review Plan
OMB’s plan to require health and environmental regulations to rely more heavily on peer-reviewed scientific evidence is nearing the end of the comment period from federal agencies. And while the plan has received criticism from some quarters, OMB officials stress the peer-review process is critical to assuring the quality and accuracy of the science behind federal regulations. “John Graham, OMB chief of regulatory affairs and a prime architect of the administration proposal, said: "Peer review in its many forms can be used to increase the technical quality and credibility of regulatory science . . . [and] protects science-based rulemakings from political criticism and litigation."