Congressional Oversight
integrityofscience | March 14, 2007From Union of Concerned Scientists:
WASHINGTON (March 14, 2007) - The House of Representatives today overwhelmingly 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 passed by a 331 to 94 vote, with 229 Democrats and 102 Republicans voting in favor.
The House soundly rejected an amendment from Rep. Bill Sali (R-Idaho) that would have stripped all protections for scientists from the legislation. Instead, the legislators…
integrityofscience | February 13, 2007Two House Committees are currently running a concurrent hearing to discuss revised Executive Order 12866, the January 18 Order that looks to delay and constrain several federal agencies' abilities to implement new regulations and provide guidance to businesses, doctors, and others. E&E Daily (subscription required) reports that the official in charge of implementing the new rule will testify.
Steven Aitken, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, will testify before the (House Judiciary Committee's) Commercial and…
integrityofscience | February 8, 2007Political distortions of the scientific process have undergone a dramatic rise in Washington over the past six years, according to the Senate testimony of Dr. Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute. Gleick's testimony (download - PDF) was provided to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on Climate Change Research and Science Integrity Wednesday. Misuse of science and attacks on scientists, Gleick finds, have been pervasive and categorical.
Good, independent science - indeed good information in general - is crucial to making good political decisions…
integrityofscience | February 7, 2007Bill Brennan, acting director of the Climate Change Science Program, was spinning the White House's treatment of scientists at this morning's Senate Commerce Committee Hearing on Climate Change Research and Scientific Integrity.
"The administration takes the concerns of its scientists very seriously, and each department and agency is reviewing -- and modifying, if necessary -- its policies to ensure government scientists do not face censorship on any scientific matter," Brennan said. Source (subscription required)
Brennan's written testimony is available here (PDF). It does not address any…
integrityofscience | January 30, 2007The reports from today's hearing, "Political Interference with the Work of Government Climate Change Scientists," are coming in. Hosted by Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing will be the first of many such investigative hearings. Part of the story is that documents demanded from the Council on Environmental Quality were not delivered on time, and then failed to meet the criteria of documents that were requested. So, in short, the Administration got off on the wrong foot ...
We're still digesting everything that happened today…