Kerry and Waxman Call for GAO Investigation Of Manipulated Climate Change

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=238684

Kerry and Waxman Call for GAO Investigation Of Manipulated Climate Change Science

Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) today asked the GAO to investigate the extent to which White House officials and political appointees at federal agencies have manipulated the science on global warming. Below is the text of their letter:

June 9, 2005
Mr. David M. Walker Comptroller General of the United States Government Accountability Office 441 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20548 Dear Mr. Walker: Yesterday, the New York Times reported that a top White House official, former oil industry lobbyist Phillip A. Cooney, has reviewed and altered government scientific reports on global warming. According to the Times, Mr. Cooney has “repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between emissions and global warming, according to internal documents.”

In addition to altering documents, political appointees dictated government climate research priorities, according to a government whistle-blower, Rick Piltz, former Senior Associate with the U.S. Climate Change Science Policy Office and former Associate Director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Mr. Piltz resigned in protest in March 2005. He states, “The White House so successfully politicized the science program that it was impossible for me to carry out my duties with integrity.”

We are writing to request that the Government Accountability Office investigate these serious allegations.

The Times article reported on numerous documents where Mr. Cooney’s edits changed scientific conclusions made by government and academic researchers. For example, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program regularly compiles and transmits to Congress a report on the program’s research activities entitled “Our Changing Planet.” In an October 2002 draft of this report, Mr. Cooney deleted as “speculative” a summary of findings by government climate researchers that climate change had been projected to reduce mountain glaciers and snowpack. Similarly, Mr. Cooney systematically changed language to introduce uncertainty in affirmative statements (e.g., changing “is” to “may”) and to amplify references to uncertainty made by scientists (e.g., adding “extremely” to a statement indicating that an attribution is difficult). According to the New York Times, Mr. Cooney is a lawyer with a bachelor’s degree in economics who has no scientific training.


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[sabra]

1. JK Rocks! eom

[mctrotter5]

2. God bless'em!

[wurzel]

3. Is this a "pattern of this behaviour"?

That was the manta of the media about Clinton's "lies" and Gore's "exagerations". I don't hear it today about Bush.

[Supersedeas]

23. the media doesn't seem much interested in investigative journalism

stenography maybe...celebrity gossip...sports and weather anyone

[bunny planet]

4. Thank you John and Henry.

[Robert Oak]

5. Good job Kerry and Waxman

Get some fire under your rear ends plus some coalition building skills
w/ congress! Excellent!

[jazzjunkysue]

6. First, they'll have to revive the ethics comittee. They've taken a powder.

Ethics is on the retreat ("Freedom is on the march")

[Mr.Green93]

7. Kerry?

Is he going to give a speech on the floor about it?

[LittleClarkie]

12. Mr.Green93?

Is he going to be more than snarky about it?

[Mr.Green93]

15. Excuse me, please

it's been a long week.

[LittleClarkie]

17. 's okay

Long week here too. And getting longer. Bleck.

[Twist_U_Up]

8. Kerry had GAO investigate the elections

you see how far that got................sigh

[damntexdem]

9. Keep hitting them! There is one thread throughout the varied issues:

Dubya and the Bushistas lie to the American people to cover for their disgusting policies. Sooner or later, Americans may listen.

[Pachamama]

10. My children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren etc. all thank you!

:hug:

PS: I hope that all these sociopaths running the White House can be exposed and the future of our world and children can be saved.

Thanks!

[rodeodance]

11. can these two Dems do this?---I do not know the rules for asking for

anvestigation--since neither of them are the majority party.

[catzies]

13. One's in the House and one's in the Senate.

n/t

[GetTheRightVote]

14. Thank you God, someone is on our side, keep it up JK & HW

:kick:

[PATRICK]

16. Interesting headline meaning

"manipulated climate change" also suggest that they are fully aware their efforts are actively worsening the climate not just their relationship with scientists- and to what ends?

[Supersedeas]

19. manipulating the public is the operative fact for exposing these frauds

[Mountainman]

18. Nothing will ever come of this. We are impotent and can't do anything to

stop them.

My only vision is that people will learn someday what they have brought upon themselves and work together for a change. I doubt it will happen soon.

We can't get the media to tell our side of the story. We can't protect our votes or the elections.

We lack the will to fight this corruption. Our Dem leaders write Bush letters and he laughs and throws them in the shit can.


Why waste the paper.

"Dear most honorable President Bush, Please do something about your bad habits of shitting on the country and please tell the truth and say you are sorry and won't do it any more.

Respectfully the Democrats"

On edit:

I'm so sick of Kerry I could puke. Where was the fight last year?

Please just go away and let someone else take charge!

[Dora]

20. David Walker

He's a good guy fighting the good fight.

[slay]

21. Nice

Too bad we've let the Republicans steal elections for so long that they run everything now. I applaud the effort, but like most of the investigations requested by Conyers, I doubt the Republicans will let this will go anywhere. :(

[99Pancakes]

22. They lie, they cheat

they steal...nothing will stop the Reeeper-Freepers!! God hate 'em!