Distinguished group of US scientists denounce Bush administration’s distortion and suppression of federal science

A firestorm of controversy has erupted within the US S&T community, sparked by a scathing report that lambastes the Bush administration for substituting ideology for science and making scientific appointments based on political leanings. Entitled Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration’s Misuse of Science, the report is produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and endorsed by more than 60 high-level scientists including 20 Nobel laureates.

The lead investigator and primary author of the report is Seth Shulman, a noted activist author and journalist.

Perhaps most damaging of all are the accusations of suppressing and distorting research findings of its own federal agencies. Many of the examples cited in the report have already been reported publicly throughout Bush’s White House tenure. But the accumulation of details covering such a wide range of science makes for disturbing reading.

In the area of the environment, the Bush administration is charged with suppressing and distorting federally conducted science concerning climate change, air quality and power plant emissions of mercury. The report cites the well-documented case of attempts by the White House to make changes to a draft report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the environment. It further alleges that demands were made by White House bodies to amend reports containing, for instance, temperature records covering the past 1,000 years, references confirming the link between human activity and climate change, and even the statement that “climate change has global consequences for human health and the environment”.

In the area of health, the report contends that the White House has suppressed information emanating from the centres for Disease Control pertaining to reproductive health and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The UCS report also jumps into the hot-button issue of Iraq, and the White House’s disregard of scientific evidence reputing that country’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction. The list of allegations goes on, from manipulation of the scientific process for forest management and science surrounding the endangered species act to charges that appointments to advisory panels, committees and councils have been politically motivated.

Inevitably, the report has its detractors. Dr Allan Bromley, former national science advisor to George Bush Sr, has denounced it as “politically motivated” with “sweeping generalizations”. Current science advisor, Dr John Marburger, has also commented, charging that the report consisted of a disconnected list of events that failed to demonstrate suppression of public science advice by the Bush administration. He did refer to the report’s backers however, as “the distinguished scientific leadership of this country”.

The timing of the report has also drawn criticism, with its release coinciding within the lead-in to this November’s national elections.

To obtain a copy of the report, go to: www.ucsusa.org.

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