Why is NOAA withholding climate documents from Congress?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has refused to answer an聽Oct. 13 subpoena from聽 by Rep. Lamar Smith (R) of Texas, chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Rep. Smith, a prominent climate change denier, demanded that internal communications surrounding a recent climate change study by NOAA scientists be turned over to his committee for examination.聽
Thomas Karl, the director of NOAA鈥檚 National Centers for Environmental Information, published in a June issue of the peer-reviewed journal Science. By explaining relevant data trends, Karl and his colleagues dispute 鈥渢he notion of a 鈥榮lowdown鈥� in the increase of global surface temperature鈥� and argue climate change is as prevalent as ever.
Smith, who regularly tries to disprove climate change, insists the NOAA scientists to get the 鈥渞esults they needed to advance this administration鈥檚 extreme climate change agenda.鈥�
The agency says it has given the committee all data and information available to the public, as well as explanatory briefings on the research. And the agency says their obligations to the committee end there.
鈥淏ecause the confidentiality of these communications among scientists is essential to , those documents were not provided to the Committee,鈥� the agency told Nature. 鈥淚t is a long-standing practice in the scientific community to protect the confidentiality of deliberative scientific discussions.鈥�
But Smith says this is unacceptable. "Congress when agencies openly defy Congress and refuse to turn over information," Smith told InsideClimate News. "This action has broad national and policy implications." NOAA has "yet to identify any legal basis" for withholding its internal communication, which Smith says undermines the committee's "Constitutionally-mandated oversight responsibilities."
Dr. Andrew Rosenberg, a former NOAA employee and current head of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, tells 海角大神 that Smith has no premise for his demands.
鈥淗e just wants the correspondence to see if he can discredit a study whose results he doesn鈥檛 like,鈥� Dr. Rosenberg explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not appropriate to try and intimidate the scientists involved by demanding their correspondence.鈥�
Rosenberg says Smith already has all the data from the study that was published in a reputable and prestigious peer-reviewed journal. Smith, he says, simply wants to take scientists鈥� comments out of context.
If Smith has no evidence of wrongdoing, as Rosenberg, the NOAA, and some other scientists suggest, then how were the subpoenas issued?聽
鈥淭he committee chairman can now issue a subpoena without consulting with the committee鈥檚 minority party members,鈥� Rosenberg explains. Beginning with former Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R) of California, House Republicans have given unilateral subpoena power to a number of GOP chairmen, allowing them to avoid Democratic criticism.
鈥淭his change will inevitably [lead] to r as Republicans infect the other committees with the poisonous process that Issa has so abused during his chairmanship,鈥� said a spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) of California.
Because of this new unilateral power of chairmen, subpoenas are now a widely used 鈥渋ntimidation tactic,鈥� says Rosenberg.
Although she did not get a voice in the subpoena process, the House committee鈥檚 ranking Democrat, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas聽 that fellow Democrats on the committee 鈥渨on鈥檛 be complicit in the illegitimate harassment of our Nation鈥檚 research scientists.鈥�
Smith鈥檚 efforts 鈥渁ppear to be furthering a fishing expedition, rather than engaging in focused oversight with a legitimate goal in mind,鈥� says Rep. Johnson. 鈥淐onducting 鈥榦versight鈥� in this fashion weakens the authority of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, brings disrepute to our institution, and tarnishes the legacy of the leaders who came before us.鈥澛�
