What's New in Scientific Integrity?

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EPA's 2025 Scientific Integrity Policy

EPA's Scientific Integrity Policy (Policy) establishes practices and procedures needed to maintain and enhance scientific integrity at EPA and carries forward many of EPA's existing priorities including addressing inappropriate influence and political interference in science. EPA’s scientific integrity policy does not bind decision-makers to particular policy outcomes but rather lays out processes and practices to ensure that the best available science is presented to agency decision-makers and informs our work. The Policy also includes a federal-wide definition of scientific integrity, descriptions of our roles and responsibilities across EPA – including those of EPA’s Chief Scientist – to uphold scientific integrity, and definitions of essential terms related to scientific integrity incorporates the roles and responsibilities of EPA's Chief Scientist, defines essential terms related to scientific integrity and outlines nine specific roles and responsibilities for agency employees. The Policy supersedes the Scientific Integrity Policy from 2012.

Comment Periods for EPA's Scientific Integrity Policy Update

EPA held internal and external comment periods from January 8, 2024 to February 5, 2024 and January 24, 2024 to February 23, 2024, respectively. EPA received over 60 employee comments and over 1700 public comments. The Scientific Integrity Program appreciated everyone's feedback and reviewed the responses.

Development of EPA's 2025 Scientific Integrity Policy

In keeping with EPA's commitment to transparency, the Building EPA's Updated Scientific Integrity Policy Page describes the development of EPA's 2025 Scientific Integrity Policy.

EPA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and Cross-Agency Strategy

EPA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan outlines seven strategic goals focused on protecting human health and the environment and four cross-agency strategies that describe the essential ways EPA will work to carry out our mission. Cross-Agency Strategy 1 is to ensure Scientific Integrity and Science-Based Decision Making. Actions supporting this initiative include, but are not limited to, the following:

Promote a culture of Scientific Integrity at EPA and ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities for adhering to Scientific Integrity and Science-Based Decision Making
Deliver Rigorous Scientific Research and Analyses to Inform Evidence-based Decision Making
Communicate science with honesty, integrity, and transparency as well as make certain that information is accessible across communities.

Long-term Performance Goals

By September 30, 2026, each EPA Deputy Scientific Integrity Official will certify completion of two implementation actions for each of the following scientific integrity objectives:

Scientific integrity is highly visible at EPA
All of EPA embraces and models scientific integrity
Robust mechanisms protect and maintain EPA’s culture of scientific integrity

Members of the scientific integrity committee are working on implementation plans that will be shared through the Committee and then with the EPA at future annual meetings. Annual performance goal/measure will be one action to implement an EPA Scientific Integrity Objective in FY 2023 & FY 2024. Annual Performance goal/measure to be increased to two actions to implement the EPA Scientific Integrity Objectives in FY 2025 & FY 2026.

Scientific Integrity Performance Standards

The new FY 2024 performance standard on scientific integrity (SI) has been included in Performance, Appraisal, and Recognition System (PARS) for EPA’s general service (GS) supervisors. Identical to the performance standard on SI for senior executive service (SES) and senior level/senior scientist (SL/ST) employees that was implemented in FY 2023, this initiative has the strong support of Agency leadership. 

The performance standard for SES, SL/ST, and GS supervisor employees states that they are responsible for exemplifying firm commitment to principles of SI in all relevant situations and complying with and advocating for the EPA Scientific Integrity Policy when doing any of the following: conducting, managing, using the results of, and communicating about science and scientific activities.