Opinion ID: 513179
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Use of Inferences Versus Direct Evidence of Exposure

Text: 50 The second issue in the case is whether EPA must produce direct evidence documenting human exposure in order to rebut industry-submitted evidence casting doubt on the existence of exposure. 13 EPA contends that it need not provide direct evidence of exposure, even in response to industry evidence rebutting its initial circumstantial case on exposure, so long as the evidence on exposure as a whole provides a more-than-theoretical basis for discerning the presence of an unreasonable risk of injury to health. EPA concedes that exposure is a necessary component of unreasonable risk of injury to health. EPA Br. 18-19. The Agency argues, however, that it can issue a test rule where the existence of exposure is inferred from the circumstances under which the substance is manufactured and used. So long as industry evidence attacking those inferences fails to negate the Agency's more-than-theoretical basis for inferring the existence of exposure, EPA claims, a test rule is warranted. After a careful search of the legislative materials, we conclude that Congress did not address this particular issue. 14 Applying the second prong of Chevron, however, we conclude that the Agency's construction of section 4 is a reasonable one and therefore uphold it. Reasonableness of Agency Interpretation 51 CMA does not contest the proposition that the use of inferences to establish exposure is reasonable as a general matter. CMA Reply Br. 10-11. CMA challenges only the Agency's reliance on inferences in the face of industry evidence attacking its initial exposure finding. Id. In light of our preceding decision on the quantum of proof necessary for a test rule, however, we see no reason to require EPA to come up with additional evidence of exposure when the industry challenges its initial finding unless the industry evidence effectively reduces the basis for an exposure finding to the realm of theory, speculation and conjecture. We conclude that it is reasonable for EPA to rely on inferences in issuing a section 4 test rule, so long as all the evidence--including the industry evidence--indicates a more-than-theoretical probability of exposure. Whether the Agency's ultimate finding of exposure is supported by sufficient evidence depends on a weighing of all the evidence, not on whether the type of evidence produced by EPA is direct as opposed to circumstantial. 52 Even if EPA were required under CMA's scenario to establish exposure as more probable than not, there would be no reason to limit its proof to direct evidence. Yet CMA bases its argument for a direct evidence requirement on its claim that exposure must be shown to be more-probable-than-not. We fail to see the purported link between these two issues. A party may show a fact to be more probable than not solely by presenting circumstantial (i.e., inference-based) evidence. Conversely, a party may fail to meet a more-probable-than-not burden even with the help of direct evidence. See 4 S. Gard, supra note 13, Sec. 29:6 (circumstantial evidence is often more reliable than direct evidence because the latter is more easily manufactured and its falsity difficult to detect). Thus, even had we accepted CMA's contention on the more-probable-than-not issue, it would not necessarily follow that industry evidence of lack of exposure must be rebutted by EPA direct evidence that exposure exists. At any rate, we have concluded that a standard less rigorous than a more-probable-than-not standard is reasonable and consistent with the intent of Congress. Accordingly, we find EPA's interpretation of section 4 as not requiring direct evidence of exposure to be reasonable and consistent with the statutory scheme. 15