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THE TAMPA TRIBUNE I The Tampa Tribune-Times, Sunday. January 2. 1994 "Iv M11 Commentary-S COMMENTARY Slogans no substitute for sound science Bv MICNRLL~ MALNIN IAS ANGELES - Shaping of the ne- noa's eovlronuNntal conscience doesa't kappen overa/grt. Only after years of shaky science, reckless reporting and Inane slopaeering have we arrived at the current Mate of fear and paranoia about the Eaith'e chances for survival. go, unfortunately, It mey taie twlce an many ywm of suund relence. Informed reporting and raponslble education to undo the dgmtge. The Advancement of Sound Science Cotlltlon, a new gnn-roots or}ntmtion. may be just the Place to s1art. It was formed In November to monl0or the gov- ernmeat^s abuee of science and menlpule- tlon of public policy. This b especially welcome at a time when the Clinton ad- ministration Is fixing to raise the Envlron- mental Protection Agency - a prime suurtt of such abuse - to cabtnet-level statu& Among TASSCS goals: to Inform the general public about the consequences of Inappropriate science by focusing atten- Bon of current examples of unsound gov- ernment research used to guide pollcy de- eWOm; to establish an educational out- reech program; and to offer resources to ensure that sound sclentlRe principles are applied. Former New Mexico Gov. Garrey Car- ruthets, TASSC's chairman, says: "Thls group Is long overdue. We believe that eclence used to guide publlc policy decl- slon should be based on sound principles - not on emotions and beliefs considered by some as politically correcL" He's absolutely ryht. But for long-Ome opponents of radical enviroomentall.m, thle Is not an earth7hattering statement. Many scientists and publbpotlcy analyele have been tolBng away thankldely, trying for years to refute apocalyptic claims about the imminent threat of overpopuq- tbn, specie! los, pelticide risks and toxic waste with eober cost-benefit anatyses and risk aalresrMnlf. Unfortunately, such skeptics an Bruce Ame0. tuls Gald, Dbry I.ee Ray and the late Aaron w0daveky don•t get attention with the same esse as star-sludded envl- rnnmentat groups and enterprises like Greenpeace and the Walden Project. The coalition needs to convmce the general public lhat "saving the earth" may seem more gratifying for the soul, but selvaging the practice of sound scl- eace ww save an a lot more time, money and anxiety In the long run. At the most elementary level, that means countering the radical environ- mentallsls in the public achools. Despite publicity touting tougher academic stan- derd& there Is a growing movement awey from leaching actentifle facts and inslead toward "stressing concepb." In practice, this results In preaching to students the Irrefutable good of recycling and the un- questlonable bad of synthetic chemicals - without rigorous analysis of the cnslsM benefJts and acientific evidence to bolster such assertions. Such sclentifle illiteracy (I.e., who needs to teafn about control groups and confounding facton when the omne hole Is widening?) has conhtbuted Immmeur- abty to the perpetuation of environmeatal nSr<hs TASSC should work to make flaseos like the Alar scare as familiar to smdebp as rain foreafs or global wuming. The Aler myth, concocted by aham nclentlsb and CBS' "ge Minulea,° needlessly alarmed the country's schoolchildren and devastated the apple Indi®try. And the co- aluloo should emphaslre the outrageous caet to taxpayers of environmental regu- laaons (g115 billion alone In 1991) that are based on dubious clalms of suppaeed health threats. Even the EPA acknowledges the dls- mal emte of much of Its own sclentlflc research. In a March 1992 report, the agency conceded that It "nas not always ensured that contrasting, reputable smen- tific views are well-esplnred and well- documenled from the beginning to the end of the regulatory procesn." - So before purchasing some envlron- mentally correct product from the Body Shop, why not pick up a copy of Dixy Lee Ray's "Trashing the Planet"? Or how about signing up for a free membership to TASSC? Taking these long-overdue steps to allay fems with facts mey be one of the best gifts money cen buy mis holl- day season. Michelle Malkin is a columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News. Sti00LZOLOZ