On February 19, 2026, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill into law that restricts the types of scientific research that can be used to set environmental regulations. The so-called “Sound Science” bill prevents agencies from setting limits on contaminants that are not regulated by the federal government, unless a “direct causal link” between a potential contaminant and “manifest bodily harm” is shown.
Environmental regulations currently rely on tracking large populations and evaluating the risks posed by exposure to certain contaminants. Health researchers and public health experts argue that proving a direct causal link is “virtually impossible.” According to Jeffrey Wickliffe, professor and chair of the Environmental Health Sciences Department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, the bill creates an “insurmountable burden of proof for agency rulemakings that is out of step with scientific practice.”
45 scientists, physicians, and other experts sent a letter to the Alabama legislature warning that the bill’s strict criteria might make it impossible to show even well-established facts, such as smoking causing cancer.