Wisner Baum Demands Structural Overhaul of EPA Regulatory Ethics

For decades, officials have cycled between senior regulatory posts at the EPA and positions at the chemical manufacturers they once oversaw. Michael Baum, a senior partner at Wisner Baum, argues that this structural pattern allows industry interests to bypass public health safeguards. Research cited by the firm reveals that seven of nine directors of the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs transitioned directly into the pesticide industry upon leaving the agency.

This proximity to industry players often dictates the scientific data available to regulators. Manufacturers frequently supply the foundational studies for their own safety assessments, a practice that leads to regulatory approvals based on evidence that lacks true independence. Litigation involving Roundup has historically highlighted how such influence can shape scientific records, with internal documents revealing efforts to ghostwrite expert reviews and pressure federal agencies to suppress unfavorable findings.

Recent legislative efforts, including calls from Senators Adam Schiff and Jeff Merkley for EPA officials to extend recusals, reflect growing concern over this access. Wisner Baum maintains that current ethics rules are insufficient, as they fail to account for the systemic nature of industry-funded science. The firm is urging Congress to bolster funding for independent toxicology research and mandate public access to all data submitted for chemical registrations to ensure that federal health decisions are not merely protecting market interests.