AAMC and FASEB Call for Reform
of Environmental Regulation
May 24, 2002- The AAMC joined with the Federation
of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in
a May 16 letter calling for rationalizing environmental regulations
affecting academic research. Specifically, the AAMC and FASEB
recommendations respond to an Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) draft report to Congress on the Costs and Benefits of
Federal Regulations. OMB invited public comment on specific
federal regulations with regard to their effectiveness and
the burden that they create for compliance. OMB's request
and draft report is a prelude to efforts to reform the implementation
of disparate federal rules.
AAMC and FASEB noted in their comment letter that many requirements
for the management and control of hazardous wastes were designed
for application to industry, but affect the academic institutions
as well. "[B]ecause a laboratory setting differs dramatically
from an industrial setting in the use of relatively small
quantities of a large number of chemicals on a non-production
basis, the RCRA regulations create difficulty for the laboratory
community in the areas of interpretation, application, and
compliance." Examples and other information relating
to regulatory practices was collected in part through the
AAMC's Research Dean's listserver. Respondents noted that
regulatory reform would let institutions focus resources on
hazardous waste management more effectively.
The two organizations recommend adoption of "best practices"
developed through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in collaboration
with several academic institutions, and which has been praised
by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Information:
Stephen Heinig, Senior Research Fellow
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
sheinig@aamc.org
(202) 828-0488
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