Hill Heat: Draft Oversight Report: Systematic White House Climate Change CensorshipScience Policy Legislation Actiontag:www.hillheat.com,2005:TypoTypo2007-12-10T14:53:25-05:00Brad Johnsonurn:uuid:369c652b-f0a5-4257-8d9b-5a72e8f31cd12007-12-10T13:54:00-05:002007-12-10T14:53:25-05:00Draft Oversight Report: Systematic White House Climate Change Censorship<p>The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), <a href="http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1653">today released</a> a draft report entitled <a href="http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20071210101633.pdf">Political Interference with Climate Change Science Under the Bush Administration</a>.</p>
<p>The report is based on the committee’s <a href="http://www.hillheat.com/events/2007/01/30/allegations-of-political-interference-with-the-work-of-government-climate-change-scientists">January 30</a> and <a href="http://www.hillheat.com/events/2007/03/19/allegations-of-political-interference-with-government-climate-change-science-part-ii">March 19</a> hearings, depositions, and interviews of government officials on White House censorship and manipulation of governmental climate change science over the last 16 months.</p>
<p>Scientists, reports, and testimony from <span class="caps">NOAA</span>, NASA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Climatic Data Center, and the Environmental Protection Agency were affected.</p>
Findings include:
<ul>
<li>Media requests to speak with federal scientists on climate change matters were sent to Council on Environmental Quality for White House approval</li>
<li>The White House edited congressional testimony regarding the science of climate change</li>
<li><span class="caps">CEQ</span> Chief of Staff Phil Cooney and other <span class="caps">CEQ</span> officials made at least 294 edits to the Administration’s <a href="http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/stratplan2003/default.htm">Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program</a> to exaggerate or emphasize scientific uncertainties or to deemphasize or diminish the importance of the human role in global warming</li>
<li>The White House insisted on edits to <span class="caps">EPA</span>’s <a href="http://www.epa.gov/roe/roe/index.htm">draft Report on the Environment</a> that were so extreme that the <span class="caps">EPA</span> Administrator opted to eliminate the climate change section of the report</li>
<li><span class="caps">CEQ</span> eliminated the climate change section of the <span class="caps">EPA</span>’s <a href="http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/">Air Trends Report</a></li>
<li><span class="caps">CEQ</span> Chairman James Connaughton edited the August 2003 <span class="caps">EPA</span> legal opinion disavowing authority to regulate greenhouse gases</li>
</ul><p>The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), <a href="http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1653">today released</a> a draft report entitled <a href="http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20071210101633.pdf">Political Interference with Climate Change Science Under the Bush Administration</a>.</p>
<p>The report is based on the committee’s <a href="http://www.hillheat.com/events/2007/01/30/allegations-of-political-interference-with-the-work-of-government-climate-change-scientists">January 30</a> and <a href="http://www.hillheat.com/events/2007/03/19/allegations-of-political-interference-with-government-climate-change-science-part-ii">March 19</a> hearings, depositions, and interviews of government officials on White House censorship and manipulation of governmental climate change science over the last 16 months.</p>
<p>Scientists, reports, and testimony from <span class="caps">NOAA</span>, NASA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Climatic Data Center, and the Environmental Protection Agency were affected.</p>
Findings include:
<ul>
<li>Media requests to speak with federal scientists on climate change matters were sent to Council on Environmental Quality for White House approval</li>
<li>The White House edited congressional testimony regarding the science of climate change</li>
<li><span class="caps">CEQ</span> Chief of Staff Phil Cooney and other <span class="caps">CEQ</span> officials made at least 294 edits to the Administration’s <a href="http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/stratplan2003/default.htm">Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program</a> to exaggerate or emphasize scientific uncertainties or to deemphasize or diminish the importance of the human role in global warming</li>
<li>The White House insisted on edits to <span class="caps">EPA</span>’s <a href="http://www.epa.gov/roe/roe/index.htm">draft Report on the Environment</a> that were so extreme that the <span class="caps">EPA</span> Administrator opted to eliminate the climate change section of the report</li>
<li><span class="caps">CEQ</span> eliminated the climate change section of the <span class="caps">EPA</span>’s <a href="http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/">Air Trends Report</a></li>
<li><span class="caps">CEQ</span> Chairman James Connaughton edited the August 2003 <span class="caps">EPA</span> legal opinion disavowing authority to regulate greenhouse gases</li>
</ul>