The White House is currently making moves to eliminate three federal advisory boards that deal with the protection of marine life.
This week the government has defunded the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee, the Interior Department’s Invasive Species Advisory Committee, and the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. All have been around for over a decade and focuses on marine life, invasive species, and combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Back in June, President Trump issued an executive order that the EPA and other agencies eliminate one-third of their advisory committees, says EcoWatch.
“This executive order was just another example of this administration seeking to cut science and information out of the government and decision-making process. Implementing this executive order now takes a wrecking ball to the advisory network and will result in a huge drain on the government. Cutting out pathways to accurately communicate the truth means that decisions that impact lives will be less informed by experts in the field and by public comment,” writes Genna Reed, a lead science and policy analyst in the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Advisers on the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee were notified Monday and were offered no explanation as to why their committee would be losing funding.
“Two years ago, when the federal advisory committee was up for renewal, a lot of us thought it would get the ax given the politics of the federal government. When it didn’t, we were surprised and glad we had the extra two years. Now that it’s been discontinued, I can only guess at the reasons why,” says Will McClintock a scientist on the council.
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