On Wednesday, May 9, 2007 UCS Senior Scientist Francesca Grifo testified in front of the House Committee on Natural Resources on political interference in the science behind the implementation of the Endangered Species Act. Hearing witnesses discussed interference in the addition and removal of species from the endangered and threatened lists, the designation of critical habitat, and the development of recovery plans.

Documenting Interference

Recent investigations have documented numerous cases where political appointees have altered, distorted, or misrepresented science to prevent the protection of species under the Endangered Species Act. The A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science details species that have been affected, including the white-tailed prairie dog, the Florida panther, salmon, bull trout, and the trumpeter swan.

The hearing came on the heels of a scathing Department of Interior Inspector General report that chastised former Interior Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Julie MacDonald for habitually rewriting and distorting scientific documents. 

While MacDonald has since resigned, her case is one of many.  A 2005 UCS survey of FWS scientists found that 128 scientists had been asked, for non-scientific reasons, to refrain from making scientific findings that are protective of species.

Advancing Solutions

Congress and the Department of Interior must act quickly to end political interference in science and redress the errors that have already been made. UCS recommends the following actions:

• Congress should pass the Whistleblower Enhancement Act, which would give federal scientists the right to expose political interference in their research without fear of retribution. The House has approved this measure, and it's time for the Senate to act. 
• Interior Department Secretary Dirk Kempthorne should send a clear message to all political appointees that substituting opinions for science is unacceptable. 
• The decision-making process under the Endangered Species Act must be open to scrutiny so that those involved in the process are held accountable for their actions. 
• In light of the demonstrated pervasiveness of political interference in Endangered Species Act decisions during the past several years, the Interior Department should engage in a systematic review of all Bush administration decisions to ensure that the science behind those decisions was not altered or distorted. At the very least, Secretary Kempthorne should require an immediate reevaluation of decisions where political interference has been exposed.
• Given the number of recent attempts to undermine the scientific underpinnings of the Endangered Species Act by members of Congress and political appointees, congressional committees of jurisdiction must safeguard the role of science in protecting highly imperiled species. 
• The Interior Department should have a publicly available policy giving scientists the rights communicate their research results. 
• To help ensure the integrity of science at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency should establish a formal and independent scientific review board for agency policies and decisions.