PRESS STATEMENT
-For Immediate Release-
January 11, 2007

Contact: Brian Gumm, (202) 234-8494, bgumm@ombwatch.org

OMB Watch Urges White House to Heed National Research Council Recommendations on Risk Assessments

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2007—OMB Watch today urged the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to heed recommendations in a Jan. 11 National Research Council report that found OMB's Proposed Risk Assessment Bulletin was "fundamentally flawed."

The Council found that OMB's new definition of risk assessment was "too broad and in conflict with long-established concepts and practices." The report also recommended that OMB leave technical risk assessment guidelines and standards to each federal agency, as one size does not fit all when it comes to risk assessments. The Council stressed concerns over "the likely drain on agency resources, the extended time necessary to complete risk assessments that are undertaken, and the highly likely disruptive effect on many agencies." The concerns are similar to those raised by OMB Watch and Public Citizen in comments in August 2006.

"The National Research Council's report speaks loud and clear — OMB's attempt to impose a flawed definition of risk assessment on all federal agencies is unacceptable," said Rick Melberth, Director of Regulatory Policy at OMB Watch. "The proposed bulletin's criteria would have imposed on federal agencies a rigid assessment structure with little flexibility to account for widely varied risks and would have greatly hindered efforts to protect public health and safety."

OMB published the proposed bulletin in January 2006. It contained criteria to govern all risk assessments and included technical standards for all federal agencies to use when conducting risk assessments, as well as other scientific documents. The OMB criteria would have applied to risk assessments conducted as part of issuing or revising health, safety and environmental rules, as well as important scientific studies. The Bulletin contained no estimates of the costs and benefits associated with its implementation. OMB submitted the entire proposal to the National Research Council for review.

Following the release of the report, OMB announced that it will go back to the drawing board to "develop improved guidance on risk assessment."

Melberth responded, "Though OMB said earlier today that it will not release the bulletin in final form, proposals like this should be taken off the table altogether. The ability of government agencies to protect the public must not be compromised by attempts to manipulate and politicize science and the risk assessment process."