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Angela Logomasini

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Angela Logomasini

Credentials

  • Ph.D, American Government, Catholic University of America (2008). [1], [2]
  • Master's, Congressional Studies, Catholic University (1992). [3]

Background

Angelo Logomasini is a senior fellow with the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), specializing in “environmental risk, regulation and consumer freedom.” She has published articles in the Huffington Post, New York Post and The Wall Street Journal, among a range of publications. Logomasini has written extensively against regulations that could affect the chemical industry. [4]

Before CEI, she worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas. She was also former environmental editor for the Research Institute of America. [4]

She is the manager of SAFEChemicalPolicy.org, a group created by CEI in coalition with a number of other organizations that promotes “the life-enhancing value of chemicals,” and is also a senior fellow at the Independent Women's Forum (IWF)[5]

SafeChemicalPolicy

According to their website, “Coalition Members” who partnered with CEI to create SAFEChemicalPolicy.org include the following: [6]

Stance on Climate Change

While Angela Logomasini does not appear to have an official statement on climate change, she is a co-author on a CEI document that recommends President Trump withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement and defund the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. [7]

One of the document's “Policy Recommendations: is: “the incoming administration should zero out the hundreds of millions of dollars of annual funding for the Paris Agreement’s foreign aid program, Green Climate Fund.” [7]

Key Quotes

November 30, 2016

Writing on the contributor platform of Huffington Post, Angela Logomasini writes that the legacy of biologist Rachel Carson“is nothing to celebrate”: [8]

“Carson’s writings included many inflammatory and misleading claims about chemicals, claims that have long been rebuked by scientists. Yet her rhetoric spawned a radical environmental movement that promotes unwarranted bans and restrictions on pesticides that otherwise could be used to make food more affordable and fight mosquito-transmitted diseases such as malaria, the Zika virus, the West Nile virus, and more,” Logomasini wrote. [8]

February 21, 2013

Writing at Huffington Post, Logomasini wrote there is no connection between increased cancer risk and chemicals: [9]

“If trace chemicals were a significant cancer cause, cancer rates would rise with increased chemical use, but the opposite is true,” she wrote. [9]

February, 2009

Quoted in Fox News, Logomasini argued that teaching children in public schools things like avoiding plastic water bottles, using re-usable containers, and conserving water is akin to political indoctrination: [10]

“I think children should not be forced to take one set of values over another,” Logomasini said. “This isn't simply about controlling litter, like we had in the '70s. It's more about recycling, living organically — it's a lifestyle choice that is being forced on students whether they like it or not, whether parents like it or not.” [10]

She added that students should be “learning science and they should be learning different perspectives from which they can make a critical analysis.” [10]

Key Deeds

March 24, 2017

Writing on the contributor platform of Huffington Post, Logomasini invites readers to join the staff at the Competitive Enterprise to celebrate “Human Achievement Hour,” a CEI campaign opposing the WWF's Earth Hour, where hundreds of millions of people turn off their lights for one hour. [11]

According to CEI's description of the event: [12]

“Originally launched as the counter argument to the World Wide Fund for Nature's Earth Hour, where participants renounce the environmental impacts of modern technology by turning off their lights for an hour, Human Achievement Hour challenges people to look forward rather than back to the dark ages. “ [12]

CEI's “Human Achievement Hour” invites people to use as much electricity as possible. “Ways to Celebrate” listed by CEI include: [12]

  • “Use your phone or computer to connect with friends and family
  • “Watch a movie or your favorite television show
  • “Drink a beer or cocktail
  • “Drive a car or take a ride-sharing service
  • “Take a hot shower
  • “Or, in true CEI fashion, celebrate reliable electricity that has saved lives, by bringing heat and air conditioning to people around the world, and keep your lights on for an hour!” [12]

December 15, 2016

Logomasini, Marlo Lewis, and William Yeatman are all authors of aCEI“Webmemo” on first steps for the Trump administration. Policy recommendations included int he memo included: [7]

  • “End U.S. Participation in the Paris Climate Agreement and Defund the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and U.N. Green Climate Fund.”
  • “Overturn the Clean Power Plan.”
  • “Require the EPA to Meet its Statutory Deadlines before Pursuing Discretionary Objectives”
  • “Stop Counting Pollution Reduction Benefits Achieved Both Above and Below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards as One and the Same.”
  • and “Reform and Terminate Unaccountable Environmental Research Programs.”  [7]

The memo also cites one of Logomasini's articles from 2012. She had written on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Design for the Environment (DfE) program which called on companies to voluntarily remove certain chemicals from their products. [13]

At the time, she described the agency as “using the DfE program to strong-arm the laundry industry to stop using detergents that include a certain class of chemicals – Nonylphenol Ethoxylate (NPE) surfactants – although there has been no proper risk assessment process that would justify regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).” “EPA can get away without proper reviews and standards because, after all, the program is 'voluntary!' Well, apparently not  for everyone,” she wrote. [13]

November 3, 2016

Logomasini is the author of a CEI report advocating for fewer regulations on pesticides in order to combat the Zika virus. View the complete report here. [14], [15]

“Federal pesticide laws are a substantial problem because unscientific and excessively restrictive standards have produced bans and forced useful products off the market,” she wrote. “If federal lawmakers are truly interested in fighting Zika and other emerging vector-borne infections, they need to revisit the FQPA standard to eliminate the regulatory burdens associated with its excessively cautious approach. “ [15]

In her conclusion, she advocated for a “robust free market for the development of new pesticides.” [15]

August 3, 2016

Writing at Huffington Post, on the “Contributor platform” in which HuffPost notes that “Contributors control their own work and post freely to our site,” Logomasini advocates for DEET in order to prevent the spread of Zika virus. [16]

“In fact, there are no documented cases of anyone dying or suffering serious long-term health effects from the proper use of DEET,” she writes, adding “There have been concerns that excessive application of DEET on children caused seizures, but these claims were based on a handful of inconclusive cases.” [16]

Here conclusion is as follows: [16]

“Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and other insect-transmitted illnesses pose serious risks, and DEET is among the best tools available to prevent their transmission. Expecting mothers—or anyone else—should not fear DEET and other EPA-approved pesticides as long as they follow the directions on the label. The real danger lies in remaining inadequately protected because of misinformation about DEET and other pesticide risks.” [16]

April 19, 2016

Writing at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Logomasini argues that reforms to the nation's chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), would “do more harm than good”: [17]

“Environmental activists and others claim TSCA should be modernized because it has accomplished very little in terms of regulatory activity. That is not true […] They also cite concerns that existing chemicals pose significant risks that demand greater regulation. Yet, there is no evidence to support assertions that trace exposure to chemicals through consumer products pose substantial risks, such as for cancer or other adverse health effects,” Logomasini writes. [17]

June 5, 2015

Logomasini authored an article titled “Save the Bees: Eliminate Biofuel Mandates” at Huffington Post. She argues that federal biofuel mandates are “one of the biggest threats” to pollinating bees. [18] 

“Fortunately, there is something the federal government can do to make private wildlife habitat more viable: eliminate the federal Renewable Fuel Standard,” she wrote. “This mandate promotes excessive planting of corn by creating artificial demand for biofuels such as ethanol. Corn, which self-pollinates, has limited nutritional value to bees and other pollinators.”

October 7, 2015

Logomasini published another study on BPA, this titled the “Government’s Unfounded War on BPA.” She claims that “During the past decade, the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) has become a target of environmental activists who make a host of unfounded claims about the chemical’s risks to humans.” Read her full CEI report here. [19], [20]

April 2, 2014

Angela Logomasini is the author of the CEI report “A Consumer’s Guide to Chemical Risk: Deciphering the 'Science' Behind Chemical Scares.” According to Logomasini, “When it comes to studies attempting to link chemicals and health ailments, the absolute risks are largely theoretical and generally too low to measure. In fact, many of the alarmist new stories report on studies where the findings are very weak and often inappropriate for drawing any conclusions.” [21]

The full report attempts to debunk a number of what it describes as “alarmist” claims about chemicals. It includes sections broadly highlighting supposed flaws in study types that have reached conclusions that certain chemical types may be dangerous. In a study trying to discredit elements of Epidemiological Studies, she relies on climate science denier and “junk science” expert Steve Milloy to outline “relative risk.” She goes on to claim that animal tests, particular rodent tests, are  exaggerated by researchers. [22]

Under the heading “basic principles promoting good science,” Logomasini outlines how low level exposures to chemicals should be supposedly safe, noting that “ a 70-year-old individual who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years has a much higher cancer risk than a 70-year-old who only smoked that much for a year or two in his 20s, all other factors being equal.”  [22]

She provides a section that promises to offer “additional insights that can help consumers better assess questionable terminology and phraseology employed by those within the alarmist trade.”  [22]

“What about 'hazardous' chemicals? They sure do sound scary! And environmental activists are aware of that, which is why they use the terms regularly,” she writes, adding that “The focus on hazard rather than risk downplays, if not largely ignores, the benefits from these products.”  [22]

“Sometimes green activists attack chemicals as 'toxic' rather than 'hazardous,' but the concept is nearly the same,” she writes in a subsequent section. While she admits that “These claims might technically be true,” she then adds that “actual risk of harm remains extremely low given real-world exposures.   [22]

In a section on Endocrine Disruptors, she again quotes Steve Milloy, who had written that “DES [diethylstilbestrol] is not an ‘endocrine disrupter’—especially as the enviros use the term.”  [22]

On trace chemicals, Logomasini writes: “ there is no compelling body of evidence showing that the existence of trace chemicals in the human body is a problem.”  [22]

February 13, 2014

In the wake of a West Virginia chemical spill that left approximately 300,000 people in Charleston without drinking water—the third spill to occur in the Kanawha River valley within five years—Logomasini authored a CEI paper addressing “myths and facts” about the spill. [23], [24]

In her paper, Logomasini writes that the repeated chemical spills are not reason to impose more regulations, pointing her finger at “opportunistic environmental activists who are using this unfortunate event as an excuse to push legislation that is largely unrelated to the spill.” [23]

Among the supposed “Myth's” presented by Logomasini is that the spill is a “major environmental catastrophe,” that more regulation is needed for the chemical industry, and that the public's safety is in question after the spill. She concludes with an argument that “accidents happen”: [23]

“Laws were already in place that should have prevented this accident or at least better prepared officials to address the risks and communicate those risks. And unfortunately, accidents may happen even when public officials do a good job,” she wrote at CEI[23]

January 9, 2014

Writing at CEI, Logomasini defended the antibacterial chemical triclosan. In the defense of manufacturers, of which she wrote have been forced to “try to do the impossible,” due to regulations forced by “green hype.” [25]

“[N]othing in life is risk free,” Logomasin wrote. “Rather, the question is whether products provide more benefits than risks, which is clearly the case with the chemical triclosan.” [25]

November 8, 2011

Logomasini argued at CEI that plastic bag bans are actually bad for the environment:[26]

“In reality, bans never promote innovation or growth-they do the opposite,” She wrote. “Bans destroy the investment, productivity, and creativity of those who invent and develop products, and they divert resources from useful enterprises in order to find alternative products, which are usually inferior to those they replace.” [26]

April 21, 2011

Logomasini published a CEI study titled “Anti-BPA Packaging Laws Jeopardize Public Health” suggesting that bans on BPA are “misguided.” View the complete study here[27], [28]

“This anti-BPA legislation is based on environmental activists’ wrongheaded claims that BPA poses an unreasonable risk to human health—specifically to children—but the overwhelming body of research suggests otherwise,” she suggests in the study. [28]

She contends that there is “negligible risk” regarding BPA. “BPA has been extensively studied for potential impacts on human health,” she writes. ”[…] This large body of research has failed to find a strong relationship between current consumer exposures to BPA and health effects.” [28]

The article concludes: [28]

BPA bans will do little for public health, since they do not address significant risks. They are part of an ever-expanding arbitrary regulatory state that places many valuable products and freedoms at risk.” [28]

November 30, 2012

In a CEI report titled “Rachel Was Wrong: Agrochemicals’ Benefits to Human Health and the Environment,” Logomasini argued that Rachel Carson used “harsh and unscientific rhetoric” to postulate that “that man-made chemicals affect processes of the human body in 'sinister and often deadly ways.'” [29]

“As the world reexamines Carson’s anti-pesticide legacy, this paper focuses on the importance of chemicals designed for crop production,” Logomasini wrote, adding that “Unfortunately, these benefits are at risk as Carson’s legacy of misinformation lives on within the politically organized environmental movement.” [29]

According to Logomasini, “Carson was particularly wrong about DDT. For decades before it was banned, humans were exposed to massive amounts of DDT without showing ill effect.” She argues that it is “well documented how Carson’s antiDDT rhetoric contributed to malaria outbreaks […]” [29]

The report goes on to detail the “benefits of pesticides” while arguing that “anti-technology trends— particularly those against agrochemicals” will make the poor “suffer disproportionately” due to lower crop yeilds. [29]

July 23, 2009

Angela Logomasini spoke at the Washington Policy Center's 7th Annual Environmental Policy Luncheon & Conference, headlined by climate science denier Patrick Michaels. [30]

Logomasini spoke on the first panel of July 23 on the subject of “Precautionary Principle.” Also speaking on the panel were Dr. John Hill of the Alabama Policy Institute and Tom Holt, President and Government and Public Affairs Director of The Holt Company. [30]

Logomasini's slideshow presentation was titled“Dangers of Precaution” and highlighted the DDT ban as a “model” of precaution that resulted in “millions dead.” [31]

July 17, 2008

Logomasini authored a CEI report that opposed the TRI (Toxics Release Inventory) and “right-to-know” laws which would require industries to outline certain chemicals that they release. According to Logomasini, detailing potentially harmful chemicals would be too expensive for industry, as “the burden placed on the private sector is significant.” [32]

She also contends that “Right-to-know data may jeopardize some firms’ trade secrets by making information available to their competitors” and finally, citing a Reason Foundation study, she writes that “TRI data are often misused by those who want to scare the public about chemical use rather than to educate the public.”

June 20, 2007

Angela Logomasini went on MSNBC to debate a representative from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) about recycling and the government's approach to trash and landfills. Logomasini argues that a solution would be to bring a “free market process” into the industry as opposed to government regulation. [33]

June 28, 1996

Logomasini is listed on a “Roster of Attendees” at a Cato Institute Policy Forum titled “The IPCC Report On Climate Change: Scientific Consensus or Scientific Meltdown?” [34]

Affiliations

Social Media

Publications

Angela Logomasini has published a range of opinion pieces and Competitive Enterprise Institute Studies. Sample publications below. View the attached spreadsheet for a full list of Logomasini's publications (.xlsx), sortable by most frequent headline keywords.

Huffington Post

CEI

National Review

Resources

  1. ANGELALOGOMASINI,” The Heartland Institute. Archived March 27, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/6FvaY

  2. Angela Logomasini, Ph.D.” LinkedIn. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  3. (Press Release). ANGELALOGOMASINIJOINSCEIENVIRONMENTALSTAFF” (PDF), October 19, 1998.  Retrieved from Greenpeace USA Investigations. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  4. Angela Logomasini: Senior Fellow,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived March 27, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/RVLdD

  5. About,” SAFEChemicalPolicy.org. Archived March 27, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vlsYV

  6. Coalition,” SAFEChemicalPolicy.org. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dysEe

  7. Marlo Lewis, Angela Logomasini, and William Yeatman. “First Steps for the Trump Administration: Champion Affordable Energy,” CEI WebMemo No. 41 (December 15, 2016). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  8. Angela Logomasini. “Activists Celebrate Carson’s Dangerous Anti-Chemical Legacy,” The Huffington Post, November 30, 2016. Archived April 3, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/9VEAv

  9. Angela Logomasini. “‘Cancer Prevention Tips’ to Avoid,” The Huffington Post, February 21, 2013. Archive April 4, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/Nf3Wv

  10. Environmental Lesson Plans Drawing Praise, Concern,” Fox News, February 9, 2009. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/eeREn 

  11. Angela Logomasini. “Don’t Remain in the Dark: Celebrate Human Achievement,” The Huffington Post, March 24, 2017. Archived April 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/y7L7S 

  12. Human Achievement Hour,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived April 3, 2017. Archive.is URL:  https://archive.is/CZG6i

  13. Angela Logomasini. “EPA's Design to Strong-Arm the Chemical Industry,” CEI, May 18, 2012. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/r8iSH

  14. Angela Logomasini. “Regulatory Hurdles Impede Zika Control, “CEI, November 3, 2016. Archived April 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yuyv4

  15. Angela Logomasini. “Regulatory Hurdles Impede Zika Control” (PDF), CEIOnPoint, No. 222 (November 3, 2016). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  16. Angela Logomasini. “The Best Possible Zika Prevention Kit Includes DEET,” The Huffington Post, August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vPxO4

  17. Angela Logomasini. “TSCA'Reform' Is Likely To Do More Harm Than Good,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, April 19, 2016. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/9ZXPS

  18. Angela Logomasini. “Save the Bees: Eliminate Biofuel Mandates,” The Huffington Post, June 5, 2016. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/4x6gj

  19. Angela Logomasini. “Government’s Unfounded War on BPA,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, October 7, 2015. Archived February 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mdaTQ

  20. “Government’s Unfounded War on BPA” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute OnPoint No. 210 (October 7, 2015.) Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  21. A Consumer’s Guide to Chemical Risk: Deciphering the Science Behind Chemical Scares,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, April 2, 2014. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/oqYIR

  22. A Consumer’s Guide to Chemical Risk: Deciphering the Science Behind Chemical Scares” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  23. Angela Logomasini. “Myths and Facts about the West Virginia Chemical Spill,”CEI OnPoint No. 189 (February 13, 2014). Retrieved from Scribd. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  24. Company That Caused Historic Chemical Spill Leaks More Waste Into West Virginia Waters,” ThinkProgress, June 13, 2014. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Yg82e

  25. Angela Logomasini. “The Green Campaign against Triclosan Is Dangerous and Regressive,” CEI OnPoint No. 188 (January 9, 2014.) Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  26. Angela Logomasini. “Plastic Bag Bans Are Bad for the Environment” (PDF),CEO WebMemo No. 18 (November 8, 2011). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  27. Angela Logomasini. “Anti-BPA Packaging Laws Jeopardize Public Health,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, April 21, 2011. Archived April 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/U3qPx

  28. Angela Logomasini. “Anti-BPA Packaging Laws Jeopardize Public Health” (PDF)CEI On Point No. 174 (April 21, 2011). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  29. Angela Logomasini. “Rachel Was Wrong: Agrochemicals' Benefit to Human Health and the Environment” (PDF),CEI Issue Analysis No. 8. (November, 2012). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  30. 7th Annual Environmental Policy Luncheon & Conference,” Washington Policy Centre, July 23, 2009. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hACTn

  31. “Dangers of Precaution” (PDF), Angela Logomasini, July 23, 2009. Retrieved from Washingtonpolicy.org. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  32. Toxics Release Inventory” (PDF), CEI, July 17, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  33. Angela Logomasini Debates Recycling (6/20/07),” YouTube video uploaded by user Competitive Enterprise Institute, July 2, 2007. Archived .mp4 on file at Desmog.

  34. The IPCC Report On Climate Change: Scientific Consensus or Scientific Meltdown?” June 28, 1996. Retrieved from Greenpeace Investigations. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  35. About IWF,” Independent Women's Forum. Archived April 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mPlR5

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