The Bush administration ran a systematic campaign to play down the dangers of climate change, demanding hundreds of politically motivated changes to scientific reports and muzzling a pre-eminent expert on global warming, Congress was told yesterday.
Read the rest in The Guardian. March 20. “Bush Appointees ‘watered down’ Greenhouse Science.” By Suzanne Goldenberg and James Randerson.
Once again, another great expose’ by the new Congress.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
No big surprise here, but let’s see what Congress does about it. Any guesses?
skyrim, here is part of the answer-
House Passes Whistleblower Protection Act
WASHINGTON, DC, March 14, 2007 (ENS) – The House of Representatives today passed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, which would, for the first time, grant federal scientists and contractors the right to expose political interference in their research without fear of retribution.
The bill, H.R. 985, passed by a 331 to 94 vote, with 229 Democrats and 102 Republicans voting in favor.
The measure includes a clarification regarding disclosure of actions that threaten the integrity of federal science.
“Over the last few years, the politicization of science has been rampant,” said Congressman Henry Waxman, a California Democrat who chairs the Government Oversight Committee. “It is important that employees who see such examples know that they are eligible for whistleblower protection, and that our science-based agencies get the clear message that retaliating against these employees is unacceptable.”
The House rejected an amendment from Representative Bill Sali, an Idaho Republican, that would have stripped all protections for scientists from the legislation. Instead, the legislators included an amendment by Representative Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat, giving scientists the right to present their research at conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said, “Today, both Republicans and Democrats stood up to protect the brave scientists who expose political interference in their work. The resounding bipartisan support for this bill should embolden the Senate to pass similar legislation and send it quickly to the president’s desk.”
“Censoring scientists undermines our democracy and threatens public health,” said Grifo. “One stunning example – Vioxx. Fifty-five thousand Americans died because scientists at the Food and Drug Administration couldn’t speak out. If this law had been in place at the time, those people might still be alive today.”
I think the Dems actually have a plan here. I think I’ll put my plans to move to Canada on hold. ;-))