POLITICAL INTERFERENCE? Senior House Democrat questions role of White House in EPA chemical testing. “A senior House Democrat has voiced concerns that the White House is interfering in tests of potentially harmful commercial chemicals. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has flagged an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) decision urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use test data from companies and other existing data in judging whether chemicals found in pesticides and plastics could disrupt the human endocrine system, which releases hormones. Markey argued that the EPA should be allowed to conduct its own tests to determine the safe exposure levels of chemicals, such as pesticides and contaminants in the environment.”