In a Jan. 14 news release, the Salt Institute announced that it would appeal the dismissal of its data quality case against the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The Salt Institute along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had filed suit against NHLBI claiming that statements made by the agency about health benefits from lower sodium diets did not comply with the Data Quality Act.

Shortly before the holidays, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a final version of its bulletin to establish government-wide requirements for when and how federal agencies use scientific peer review. The final bulletin makes modest changes to the revised proposal that OMB published April 28, 2004 which only allowed a 30-day comment period. OMB’s announcement did not explain the seven-month delay until just before the holiday season, when many academics, scientists and public interest groups concerned with the policy were away on vacations.