| October 7, 2010 |  |
New Oil Spill Report Highlights Administration’s Scientific Integrity Issues
WASHINGTON (October 7, 2010) – A preliminary government report released yesterday on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill lends urgency to the need for the Obama administration to follow through on its commitment to systemic scientific integrity reform.
The report found evidence that the government had blocked or delayed the release of crucial information about the extent of the spill. It also found that the government used questionable methods to measure the spill, relying on BP to provide data, and consistently underestimated the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf.
These conclusions came from four “working papers” released Wednesday by the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.
The following is a statement by Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the UCS Scientific Integrity Program.
“The draft raises serious concerns about how the government measured the oil spill, and what it told the public about the threat the spill posed to human health and the environment. It is because of situations precisely like this one that scientists must be able to freely communicate research results to the public.
“I am pleased to see that this commission has been given the freedom to carefully and honestly examine how the administration handled the spill. This report highlights the central importance of strong scientific integrity standards throughout government. The executive branch needs to be more transparent about research methods and data, and to adopt polices that allow government scientists to access and then communicate the best scientific information available.
"If it is true that OMB denied a NOAA request to release scientific information, that is frighteningly reminiscent of previous administrations, but the details of these exchanges have not yet been verified or disclosed.
"Over a year ago, the president promised to issue a scientific integrity directive for all federal agencies that would help prevent the misuse of science. That directive has yet to materialize. Without leadership from the White House, I fear we’ll see more abuses of science.”
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