North America Chapter

Policy

ISEE NAC Policy Committee

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NAC Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill - June 4, 2026

At the conclusion of the 2026 ISEE-NAC meeting in Baltimore, MD a group of society members boarded a school bus to the nation’s capital, as part of Hill Day—a first for the chapter! The goal of this advocacy day was to give ISEE members an opportunity to build connections with policy makers and share the importance of their science to the health of their states and beyond. Organized by Ariana Haidari, Rayhan Islam, and Ray Yeager of the Policy Committee, nearly 30 members participated in the event. Using a mix of scheduled meetings and drop-ins with congressmembers and their staff, the group met with over 20 congressional offices. Participants were organized by state or region to facilitate having constituent scientists at meetings where possible. These meetings focused on the success of environmental health research in improving public health and the effects of abrupt changes to the scientific funding process on folks’ careers – especially for students and early career scientists. Students shared personal stories of the uncertainty of their training and career plans and connected these concerns to potential effects on the nation’s health.

Advocacy Day also happened to fall shortly after the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed rule for Federal Financial Assistance was announced. This provided an added opportunity to express our concerns, as scientists, for the disastrous effects this proposed rule will have on the American scientific enterprise. ISEE members provided each office with a handout highlighting the importance of our work and expertise. In these times, it is especially pertinent that we as scientists make ourselves available to policy makers and their staff so that they have reliable, trusted sources of information to turn to on topics such as harmful chemical exposure, air pollution, and industrial disasters when the need arises.

Some congressional offices include American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows on staff. These Fellows hold doctoral degrees in science fields, and work as science-policy translators for their offices. ISEE members were about to meet with Fellows from Sen Lisa Murkowski (AK), Sen, Tim Kaine (VA), and Rep Paul Tonko (NY), highlighting an important potential avenue for future relationship building between ISEE members and scientists in Congress.

ISEE NAC Survey Results

  • Impact of Recent United States Executive Orders on Research and Career Paths, 2025 (pdf)

ISEE NAC Policy Committee Sign-Ons

  • A Declaration on Climate Change and Health, 2025 (link)

  • Joint letter for reducing air pollution from the U.S. locomotive fleet

  • Opposition to Defunding U.S. Methane Reduction Program

  • Joint letter in support of protecting US biomedical research

  • Joint statement: EPA Scientists Have Saved Millions of Lives – Here's Why We Shouldn’t Fire ThemÂ

  • Joint letter, opposing the CRA on the Once in Always In rule

  • Joint letter in opposition to undermining the regulatory process and weakening critical public health protections

  • Comments on Repeal of Carbon Pollution Standards for Power Plants

  • Comments on EPA’s proposed repeal of mercury and air toxics standards for coal- and oil-fired electric generating units

  • Joint Letter to EPA on Cleaning Up Industrial Processes

  • American Lung Association (ALA) letter to the NHTSA administrator on fuel economy standards. (January 20, 2026, signed)

  • ALA letter to the EPA Administrator arguing against the new policy that would not consider the health costs of pollution in EPA regulations. (February 10, 2026, signed)

  • ALA letter on the reconsideration of regulations on the cross-state transport of ozone (AKA the Good Neighbor Plan). (February 27, 2026, Signed)

  • American Heart Association (AHA) letter encouraging greater investment in active modes of transportation. (May 15, 2026 signed)

  • ALA asking that the implementation of rules around more efficient commercial water heating equipment and consumer furnaces not be delayed until 2030 as has been proposed by the DOE. (May 26, 2026, Deadline)

ISEE NAC Statements

Public Commenting

Please see some of the comments we have submitted on behalf of ISEE-NAC:

Comments on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Proposed Rules

Policy Comments

To the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):

  • July 2026: Comments on the Proposed OMB Rule: Regulation for FederalFinancial Assistance (OMB-2026-0034) (pdf)

  • June 2023: Comments on Updates to Circular No. A-4 on Regulatory Analysis (pdf)

  • September 2020: Summary of an ISEE NAC Policy Committee conference call with OMB on the EPA’s proposed Transparency in Science rule (pdf)

  • November 2020: Summary of an ISEE NAC Policy Committee conference call with OMB on PM NAAQS (pdf)

  • December 2020: Summary of an ISEE NAC Policy Committee conference call with OMB on Ozone NAAQS (pdf)

Policy Letters

  • January 2021: Petition for postponement of the Strengthening Transparency Rule (pdf)

Infographics

We are grateful to Sydney Wolchok, MPH, for preparing these infographics!