Brought to you by The Scientifically Challenged Bushtard Admin.Part II

60 Percent Of EPA Staff Have ‘Personally Experienced’ ‘Political Interference’»
Today, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report detailing the increasing politicization of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Of the nearly 1,600 EPA staff scientists surveyed, 889 of them — 60 percent — “said they had personally experienced at least one instance of political interference in their work over the last five years.” Other key findings from the report:

– 394 scientists (31 percent) personally experienced frequent or occasional “statements by EPA officials that misrepresent scientists’ findings.”

– 285 scientists (22 percent) said they frequently or occasionally personally experienced “selective or incomplete use of data to justify a specific regulatory outcome.”

– 224 scientists (17 percent) said they had been “directed to inappropriately exclude or alter technical information from an EPA scientific document.”

– Hundreds of scientists reported being unable to openly express concerns about the EPA’s work without fear of retaliation; 492 (31 percent) felt they could not speak candidly within the agency and 382 (24 percent) felt they could not do so outside the agency.

What’s more, among the various offices and divisions of the EPA, the National Center for Environmental Assessment — “where scientists conduct risk assessments that could lead to strengthened regulations” — had the highest percentage of scientists reporting interferences, at 84 percent. This is unsurprising, considering that some of the highest profile examples of prioritizing ideology over science have occurred when the White House wants to weaken environmental regulation

Con't-http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/23/epa-staff-survey/

http://ucsusa.org/news/press_release/hundreds-of-epa-scientists-0112.html