Washington, DC (December 12, 2007)- The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued a report that alleges the White House manipulated scientific information regarding climate change to downplay its threats and effects. Specifically, the Committee concluded that the White House censored statements and congressional testimony made by federal scientists regarding climate change. Additionally, media requests to speak with scientists on the subject of climate change were sent to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, a different policy compared to other media requests, said Kent Laborde, a career public affairs officer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Congressional Republicans released their own report, calling the findings “a partisan diatribe,” while the White House has denied the allegations. “Claims that this administration interfered with scientists and with the science are false,” said James Connaughton, head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
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Associated Press
Reuters
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
White House Council on Environmental Quality