Administrator Michael Regan will purge more than 40 outside experts appointed by President Donald Trump from two key advisory panels, a move he says will help restore the role of science at the agency and reduce the heavy influence of industry over environmental regulations. The unusual decision, announced Wednesday, will sweep away outside researchers picked under the previous administration whose expert advice helped the agency craft regulations related to air pollution, fracking and other issues. Critics say that under Trump, membership of the two panels - the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) - tilted too heavily toward regulated industries and their positions sometimes contradicted scientific consensus. The Biden administration said the move is one of several to reestablish scientific integrity across the federal government after what it characterizes as a concerted effort under the previous president to sideline or meddle with research on climate change, the novel coronavirus and other issues. “Resetting these two scientific advisory committees will ensure the agency receives the best possible scientific insight to support our work to protect human health and the environment,” Regan said in a statement. Environmental advocates cheered the decision, saying that remaking the composition of the panels is necessary after the Trump administration illegally barred academics who received EPA grants from serving on them. More at link https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2021/03/31/epa-chief-dismisses-dozens-of-key-science-advisers-picked-under-trump/