WASHINGTON - September 4 - The Obama administration announced today that it will release the names of most of the visitors to the White House. The president faced significant criticism for continuing former President George W. Bush's policy of keeping visitor logs secret.

The following is a statement by Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS):

"Today's announcement sends a signal that the Obama administration is getting serious about transparency. But why does the public have to wait as long as four months to find out who has been meeting with the administration? The administration could make major decisions within that time frame.

"The administration also has a huge loophole. It can label meetings 'particularly sensitive,' and then it does not have to tell us who they're meeting with. The administration must develop clear standards for meetings that it considers particularly sensitive.

"Finally, this new 'open log' policy -- with a shorter lag time and a clear definition of what is sensitive -- should extend beyond the White House to federal agencies. President Obama's science adviser, John Holdren, is expected to issue a new scientific integrity directive. It should instruct federal agencies to follow the lead of the White House and make their visitor logs publicly available -- on a daily basis. It's critical that Americans know who's participating in these meetings, because they can influence rules affecting public health and the environment."