Advisory Committees in OSHA and EPA: Their Use in Regulatory Decisionmaking

Federal agencies regulating the production and use of toxic substances increasingly have utilized citizen advisory committees to help shape the form of that regulation. Both the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) turn to such committees for recommendations on a variety of subjects, and the advisory committee has become an especially important source of federal policy on toxic substances. Recently, the discovery of a Reagan administration hit list naming many members of EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) whose views were no longer acceptable raised concern about questionable political manipulation of government advisory committees in general.' This article examines the creation and use of advisory committees in the regulation of toxic substances in manufacturing, and suggests mechanisms to insure and improve the effectiveness and public service functions of of these and similar committees.