Official defends editing climate papers

[deadparrot]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A former White House official accused of improperly editing reports on global warming defended his editing changes Monday, saying they reflected views in a 2001 report by the National Academy of Sciences. House Democrats said the 181 changes made in three climate reports reflected a consistent attempt to emphasize the uncertainties surrounding the science of climate change and undercut the broad conclusions that man-made emissions are warming the earth.

Philip Cooney, former chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, acknowledged at a House hearing that some of the changes he made were "to align these communications with the administration's stated policy" on climate change.

The extent of Cooney's editing of government climate reports first surfaced in 2005. Shortly thereafter, Cooney, a former oil industry lobbyist, left the White House to work at Exxon Mobil Corp.

"My concern is that there was a concerted White House effort to inject uncertainty into the climate debate," said Rep. Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/scientists_warming

[halobeam]

1. ty missed this....

[rumpel]

2. Here is the material at Waxman's Committee site

Committee Examines Political Interference with Climate Science

Panel I
* Mr. Philip Cooney, former Chief of Staff, White House Council on Environmental Quality
* Dr. James Hansen, Director, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
* Mr. George Deutsch, former public affairs officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Panel II
* Mr. James Connaughton, Chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality

Panel III
* Dr. Roy Spencer, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Documents and Links

* Chairman Waxman's Opening Statement
* Memorandum: Political Interference with Science: Global Warming, Part II
* Compilation of Exhibits (warning: large file)
* Testimony of Philip A. Cooney
* Testimony of James E. Hansen
* Testimony of George C. Deutsch, III
* Testimony of James Connaughton
* Deposition of Philip Cooney (warning: large file)

http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1214

[tanyev]

3. Thank God a lawyer with a bachelor's degree in economics

is going over all those reports and fixing the mistakes. You know how careless scientists can be.


:sarcasm: