While I am in the camp that believes that EPA does have a role in summarizing and explaining data and working to make it more user-friendly, I heartily concur that the push to provide those interpretations should never get in the way of getting raw data out.
Let's face it. Though there are enormous amounts of data collected, the totality of it doesn't really add up to all that we need to know to make good decisions about environmental protection. But by looking at the data that is collected, subjecting it to our varying interpretations and identifying and filling the "data gaps," we can make progress on environmental issues. I believe EPA should be responsible for making sound interpretations themselves, wherever possible, but they should never sit on data because someone else might interpret it differently.
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