Behrens and Zaleski: Tennessee Adopts First-in-the-Nation "Sound Science" Law

Tennessee has become the first state in the country to enact a law requiring “sound science” in state environmental regulations. In an article in Mealey's Emerging Toxic Torts, Shook Public Policy Practice Co-Chair Mark Behrens and Associate Joseph Zaleski write about SB 880, also known as the Sound Science in Regulations Act, which amends state law to require certain environmental regulations established by an agency to be based on the “best available science.”

 

In “Tennessee Passes First-of-its-Kind Law to Require ‘Sound Science’ in Environmental Regulations,” they say the law mirrors a concept found in several federal laws governing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. Behrens and Zaleski also say the law will result in strong scientific products and strengthen public trust.

 

“The Sound Science in Regulations Act is intended to avoid public policy overreaction to events that may unduly influence rules for emergent or other chemicals,” they say. “The law is also aimed at focusing state regulators on substances that have been directly linked to manifest bodily harm in humans.”