Steven J. Milloy is a lawyer, lobbyist, author and former Fox News commentator. Milloy is the founder and editor of junkscience.com. Milloy's career has been spent disputing the science government agencies rely on for protecting the public. His close financial and organizational ties to tobacco and oil companies have been the subject of criticism, as Milloy has consistently disputed the scientific consensus on climate change and the health risks of second-hand smoke. Among the topics Milloy has addressed are what he believes are false claims regarding DDT, global warming, Alar, breast implants, second-hand smoke, ozone depletion, and mad cow disease. From the 1990s until the end of 2005, Milloy was an adjunct scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute, which hosted the JunkScience.com site. He was an adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute from 2005 to 2009. He operated The Advancement of Sound Science Center (TASSC) established by Philip Morris Companies Inc. to counter legislation against second-hand smoke. Since 2020 Milloy has served on the board of the Heartland Institute. Educational background Milloy holds a B.A. in Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Health Sciences in Biostatistics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, a Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore, and a Master of Laws from the Georgetown University Law Center. Career The National Environmental Policy Institute (NEPI) was formed in early 1993 by Congressmen Don Ritter (R-PA) and Dennis Hertel (D-MI). Most of the initial funding for this 'greenwash' lobby group came from Occidental Petroleum and other oil companies. Milloy styled himself as the National Environmental Policy Institute's Director of Science Policy Studies. NEPI's publication, Science-Based Risk Assessment: A Key to the Superfund Puzzle, says: "Sound science and more accurate risk assessments can significantly reduce the costs of remediation, while reducing real health risks when they are found. ... Milloy of the NEPI suggests that the costs of cleanups would fall by 60 percent if the program focused more directly on risk when identifying the appropriate remedies." At the same time, Milloy was working through Philip Morris's specialist-science/PR company APCO & Associates, but was relegated to working behind the scenes as a contact for the newly formed TASSC, and on developing a new electronic-mail/computer business venture known as "Issues Watch" for APCO. APCO formally established TASSC on October 1, 1993. The budget for the first full year of operation was