Go to Original
Hundreds of EPA Scientists Report Political Interference
By Judy Pasternak
The Los Angeles Times
Thursday 24 April 2008
An official with the independent group
that conducted the survey says it indicates the widespread nature of the problem.
Washington - More than half of the scientists at the Environmental Protection
Agency who responded to a survey said they had experienced political interference
in their work.
The survey results show "an agency under siege from political pressures,"
said the Union of Concerned Scientists report, which was released Wednesday
and sent to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.
The online questionnaire was sent to 5,419 EPA scientists last summer; 1,586
replied, and of those, 889 reported that they had experienced at least one type
of interference within the last five years.
Such allegations are not new: During much of the Bush administration, there
have been reports of the White House watering down documents on climate change,
industry language inserted into EPA power-plant regulations and scientific advisory
panels' conclusions about toxic chemicals going unheeded.
But Francesca Grifo, director of the scientific integrity program for the Union
of Concerned Scientists, a Washington-based nonprofit group, said the survey
documented the widespread nature of the problem at the EPA. "What we've
been up against until now is anecdotal evidence," Grifo said.
She acknowledged that scientists who were frustrated or upset might have been
more likely than those who were satisfied to respond to her organization's survey,
but added: "Nearly 900 EPA scientists reported political interference in
their scientific work. That's 900 too many."
EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar noted that administrator Johnson had had a 27-year
career as a scientist himself.
"We have the best and finest scientific community in the world at EPA,"
Shradar said. "All of the issues we deal with are issues that we all are
very passionate about. It's important that we let the scientists do the science
and allow policymakers to do the policy work."
The survey respondents were split over the impact of political interference
on regulations. According to the report, 48% believed that the EPA's actions
were "frequently or always" consistent with scientific findings, and
47% believed that agency policy "occasionally, seldom or never" made
use of scientific judgments.
In optional essays, scientists repeatedly singled out the Office of Management
and Budget at the White House, accusing officials there of inserting themselves
into decision-making at early stages in a way that shaped the outcome of their
inquiries. They also alleged that the OMB delayed rules not to its liking. EPA
actions "are held hostage" until changes are made, a scientist from
the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation wrote.
Some also accused members of Congress of inappropriate intervention.
All of the respondents remained anonymous.
J. William Hirzy, an EPA senior scientist and union official, said that politics
trumped science at times during the Clinton administration as well but that
"what we're seeing now is . . . the favoring of energy interests, coal-fired
power plants. That's something different in this administration."
Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) wrote to Johnson on Wednesday asking
him to be prepared to respond to the findings at a hearing next month of the
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
-------
Jump to today's Truthout Features:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Print This Story
E-mail This Story