Scientists Urge Senators to Restore Scientific Integrity
At a congressional hearing in February 2007, UCS Senior Scientist Francesca Grifo testified about the results of a new UCS report exposing government interference in global warming research.
At Tuesday's hearing, Dr. Grifo released the results of a major investigation conducted by UCS and the Government Accountability Project that demonstrated that political interference in federal global warming science has become an epidemic. Scientific documents have been altered to misrepresent scientific findings, press releases have been watered down, and scientists have been prevented from speaking with the media about their research.
Many members of Congress attended the hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and expressed great concern about the censorship and distortion of science on climate change and many other topics. The Senate will examine the issue next week. UCS has documented numerous abuses of science at agencies across the federal government.
Excerpts from Dr. Grifo's testimony were carried on major network news broadcasts and in hundreds of newspapers nationwide, including ABC news, CNN, U.S. News and World Report, and public radio.
The hearing and the attention that has followed is a direct result of our collective effort to put political interference in science on the national agenda. The letters, emails, and phone calls from UCS supporters on behalf of independent science have helped us turn a critical corner in holding those who interfere with science accountable. Looking forward UCS will advocate for reforms that protect scientist whistleblowers who report political interference and affirm the right of scientists to communicate freely with the media and the public.
At the hearing and in media interviews afterward, UCS stressed that more than 11,000 scientists, including 52 Nobel laureates, have signed a statement condemning the abuse of science and calling for a restoration of scientific integrity to federal policy making.
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