James V. Aidala Quoted In Bloomberg Environment Article “EPA Could Face Legal Minefield With Open Data Rule”
On May 1, 2018, James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Bloomberg Environment regarding an open data policy proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Jim Aidala, the former head of the EPA’s chemicals office, said the agency can avoid some of these potential pitfalls if it does a thorough job of laying out its reasoning when it issues the final version of this science policy rule.
Aidala now works as a consultant at the law firm Bergeson & Campbell PC, where he advises pesticide manufacturers on regulatory issues. He said his clients and other businesses often bristle when the agency creates new rules they must follow if the companies can’t independently analyze the science that undergirds those rules.
But Aidala said the EPA needs to be mindful of the possibility that this rule could make it harder for pesticide makers and other companies to protect their trade secrets if they have to publish all of the safety data they are required to submit to the agency. Granting a waiver to pesticide makers might help, but it also may force the agency to grant data waivers to other studies that pesticide makers want to access.
“You don’t want to create a bigger problem by solving this one,” Aidala told Bloomberg Environment. “You don’t want there to be collateral damage.”
See – https://bnanews.bna.com/environment-and-energy/epa-could-face-legal-minefield-with-open-data-rule (subscription required)