The US 2015 Secret Science Reform Act puts transparency in environmental science under the spotlight (D. Sarewitz Nature 525, 159; 2015). But the bill could end up weakening, rather than strengthening, environmental laws.

Of course, whatever scientific data can be made public should be. However, the bill as written will prevent agencies from using the best available science to protect public health. It stipulates that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should adopt new rules only after making raw data on pollution — including its effects on individuals — publicly available. The catch-22 is that the agency is rightly prohibited from revealing any such information that is confidential.

The EPA and scientific organizations have repeatedly raised these concerns, but the bill's sponsors have not addressed them. I agree with critics who conclude that its real intention could be to weaken environmental laws. Those politicians who hide their policy preferences behind scientific arguments must be held accountable.