RREEDDAACCTTIINNGG TTHHEE SSCCIIEENNCCEE OOFF CCLLIIMMAATTEE CCHHAANNGGEE:: AN INVESTIGATIVE AND SYNTHESIS REPORT By Tarek Maassarani Government Accountability Project With contributions from Jay Dyckman National Coalition Against Censorship MARCH 2007 REDACTING THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE © Government Accountability Project All rights reserved The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is the nation’s leading whistleblower organization. GAP attorneys and organizers assist whistleblowers in taking their evidence of wrongdoing to appropriate government agencies, committees, and officials to investigate, expose, and rectify problems. More information about GAP, as well as the full text of this report, is available online at www.whistleblower.org or may be obtained from: The Government Accountability Project 1612 K Street, NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 408-0034 [email protected] REDACTING THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A hearty thank you goes out to Richard Ewenstein, Oveta Walker, Kent Mackzum, Athena McMahon, Deanna Lacek, and David Rosen for their hard work and assistance with the investigation. The author would also like to acknowledge Tom Devine, Shelley Walden, Adam Miles, Mary Brumder, and the others at GAP for their support and encouragement, as well as the Union of Concerned Scientists, Greenpeace, Paul Thacker, and Michael Seidman for their help. This report is dedicated to the scientists, government officials and journalists who provided valuable – and often courageous – input. Without them this report would not be possible. The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions held by those who have supported it. REDACTING THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE INDEX OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACIA Arctic Climate Impact Assessment FAQ Frequently Asked Questions AOML Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological FOIA Freedom of Information Act Laboratory (NOAA) CAR U.S. Climate Action Report FY fiscal year CCRI Climate Change Research Initiative GAO Government Accountability Office CCSP Climate Change Science Program GAP Government Accountability Project CEI Competitive Enterprise Institute GCRA Global Change Research Act CEQ Council on Environmental Quality (EOP) GFDL Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (NOAA) CIWG Communications Interagency Working GISS Goddard Institute for Space Studies Group (CCSP) (NASA) CMDL Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics GMD Global Monitoring Division (NOAA) Laboratory (NOAA) CSRA Civil Service Reform Act GRL Geophysical Research Letters DAO DOC Administrative Order GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) DOC U.S. Department of Commerce HHS Department of Health and Human Services DOD U.S. Department of Defense HRD Hurricane Research Division (NOAA) DOE U.S. Department of Energy IG inspector general DOI U.S. Department of Interior IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change DOS U.S. State Department IQA Information Quality Act DOT U.S. Department of Transportation NAO NOAA Administrative Order EOP Executive Office of the President NAS National Academy of Sciences EPA Environmental Protection Agency NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration FACA Federal Advisory Committee Act NCAC National Coalition Against Censorship REDACTING THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE NCAR National Center for Atmospheric Research ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory NCDC National Climatic Data Center OSTP Office of Science and Technology Policy (EOP) NEC NOAA Executive Council PAO public affairs office NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data and PEER Public Employees for Environmental Information Service (NOAA) Responsibility NHC National Hurricane Center (NOAA) PIO public information officer NIH National Institutes of Health PMEL Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (NOAA) NIST National Institute of Standards and Q&A question and answer Technology NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric QFR questions for the record Administration NOS National Ocean Service (NOAA) SAP Synthesis and Assessment Product (CCSP) NRC National Research Council (NAS) SBU sensitive but unclassified NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service SOCCR State of the Carbon Cycle Report NSB National Science Board UCAR University Corporation for Atmospheric Research NSF National Science Foundation UCS Union of Concerned Scientists NSTC National Science and Technology Council UNFCCC U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change NWS National Weather Service (NOAA) USAID United States Agency for International Development OAR Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (NOAA) USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture OCP Our Changing Planet USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service OLA Office of Legislative Affairs (NOAA) USGCRP U.S. Global Change Research Program OMB Office of Management and Budget (EOP) USGS United States Geological Survey OPCIA Office of Public, Constituent, and USNA U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Intergovernmental Affairs (NOAA) Consequences of Climate Variability and Change ORD Office of Research and Development (EPA) WPA Whistleblower Protection Act REDACTING THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE REDACTING THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS ..........................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................4 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE MEDIA .....................................................................7 NOAA AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM ............................................................................................ 8 NOAA’S 2004 MEDIA POLICY ............................................................................................................... 10 THE MEDIA STORM ................................................................................................................................14 PIETER TANS ........................................................................................................................................... 23 RONALD STOUFFER................................................................................................................................. 23 TOM DELWORTH .................................................................................................................................... 25 PRESS RELEASES..................................................................................................................................... 27 NASA ...................................................................................................................................................... 32 EPA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR............................................................................................ 37 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS WITH CONGRESS.....................................................................41 TESTIMONY AND TALKING POINTS ........................................................................................................ 42 CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS .................................................................................................................... 46 CONGRESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT ........................................................................................................... 61 COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC AND THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY....................64 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS..................................................................................................................... 64 PRESENTATIONS...................................................................................................................................... 67 ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB................................................................................................................... 69 MISSION STATEMENTS............................................................................................................................ 73 A NOTE ON INTERFERENCE WITH SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ................................................................... 74 AGENCY MISREPRESENTATION ........................................................................................................76 MEDIA CONTACT FAVORITISM .............................................................................................................. 77 PRESS CONFERENCES AND CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ...................................................................... 80 WEBSITES................................................................................................................................................ 81 FACT SHEETS .......................................................................................................................................... 83 THE CHAIN OF COMMAND...................................................................................................................85 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS....................................................................................................................92 NASA ...................................................................................................................................................... 92 NOAA ..................................................................................................................................................... 94 IMPROVEMENTS .....................................................................................................................................