Scientists told by Bush administration to reverse their findings

EllisDTripp · Feb 11, 2005

Really comes as no surprise given the outright hostility to science by our "faith-based" corporate leaders, but nice to see the mainstream press is finally starting to take notice....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...ts10feb10,0,4954654.story?coll=la-home-nation

THE NATION
U.S. Scientists Say They Are Told to Alter Findings
More than 200 Fish and Wildlife researchers cite cases where conclusions were reversed to weaken protections and favor business, a survey finds.
By Julie Cart
Times Staff Writer

February 10, 2005

More than 200 scientists employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say they have been directed to alter official findings to lessen protections for plants and animals, a survey released Wednesday says.

The survey of the agency's scientific staff of 1,400 had a 30% response rate and was conducted jointly by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

A division of the Department of the Interior, the Fish and Wildlife Service is charged with determining which animals and plants should be placed on the endangered species list and designating areas where such species need to be protected.

More than half of the biologists and other researchers who responded to the survey said they knew of cases in which commercial interests, including timber, grazing, development and energy companies, had applied political pressure to reverse scientific conclusions deemed harmful to their business.

Bush administration officials, including Craig Manson, an assistant secretary of the Interior who oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service, have been critical of the 1973 Endangered Species Act, contending that its implementation has imposed hardships on developers and others while failing to restore healthy populations of wildlife.

Along with Republican leaders in Congress, the administration is pushing to revamp the act. The president's proposed budget calls for a $3-million reduction in funding of Fish and Wildlife's endangered species programs.

"The pressure to alter scientific reports for political reasons has become pervasive at Fish and Wildlife offices around the country," said Lexi Shultz of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Mitch Snow, a spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency had no comment on the survey, except to say "some of the basic premises just aren't so."

The two groups that circulated the survey also made available memos from Fish and Wildlife officials that instructed employees not to respond to the survey, even if they did so on their own time. Snow said that agency employees could not use work time to respond to outside surveys.

Fish and Wildlife scientists in 90 national offices were asked 42 questions and given space to respond in essay form in the mail-in survey sent in November.

One scientist working in the Pacific region, which includes California, wrote: "I have been through the reversal of two listing decisions due to political pressure. Science was ignored — and worse, manipulated, to build a bogus rationale for reversal of these listing decisions."

More than 20% of survey responders reported they had been "directed to inappropriately exclude or alter technical information."

However, 69% said they had never been given such a directive. And, although more than half of the respondents said they had been ordered to alter findings to lessen protection of species, nearly 40% said they had never been required to do so.

Sally Stefferud, a biologist who retired in 2002 after 20 years with the agency, said Wednesday she was not surprised by the survey results, saying she had been ordered to change a finding on a biological opinion.

"Political pressures influence the outcome of almost all the cases," she said. "As a scientist, I would probably say you really can't trust the science coming out of the agency."

A biologist in Alaska wrote in response to the survey: "It is one thing for the department to dismiss our recommendations, it is quite another to be forced (under veiled threat of removal) to say something that is counter to our best professional judgment."

Don Lindburg, head of the office of giant panda conservation at the Zoological Society of San Diego, said it was unrealistic to expect federal scientists to be exempt from politics or pressure.

"I've not stood in the shoes of any of those scientists," he said. "But it is not difficult for me to believe that there are pressures from those who are not happy with conservation objectives, and here I am referring to development interest and others.

"But when it comes to altering data, that is a serious matter. I am really sorry to hear that scientists working for the service feel they have to do that. Changing facts to fit the politics — that is a very unhealthy thing. If I were a scientist in that position I would just refuse to do it."

The Union of Concerned Scientists and the public employee group provided copies of the survey and excerpts from essay-style responses.

One biologist based in California, who responded to the survey, said in an interview with The Times that the Fish and Wildlife Service was not interested in adding any species to the endangered species list.

"For biologists who do endangered species analysis, my experience is that the majority of them are ordered to reverse their conclusions [if they favor listing]. There are other biologists who will do it if you won't," said the biologist, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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shaggie · Feb 11, 2005

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FreakerSoup · Feb 11, 2005

This is what makes Bush the most dangerous man on earth.

shaggie · Feb 11, 2005

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andcrs2 · Feb 11, 2005

FreakerSoup said:

This is what makes Bush the most dangerous man on earth.
Click to expand...

Do you really want to know who's dangerous?

Look in N Korea...he's dangerous.

You weren't even alive during the Cuban Missle Crisis were you?
Research it, become Wiser...

andcrs2 · Feb 11, 2005

shaggie said:

This administration has a pattern of this type of behavior. They altered the warnings by the EPA that the air was unsafe just after 911. The White House had no business editing an EPA report.
Click to expand...

It's not just this Administration,
Governments and Industries have been doing similar things since their creations/inceptions.

Spend more Time researching before making cookie cutter accusations...

shaggie · Feb 11, 2005

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Mui · Feb 11, 2005

america forced the soviets into the cuban missle crisis.

andcrs2 · Feb 11, 2005

shaggie said:

When you put Bush together with the leader of NK and both are popping off devisive remarks at each other, it doesn't make most people feel very secure.

Regarding Kennedy, he took a stance but then he gave some breathing room for the Soviets to think about it. He had more common sense than some of the people in DC today. There was a deal behind closed doors that Kennedy made to pull U.S. warheads out of Turkey in return for the Soviets pulling them out of Cuba (warheads in Turkey was what the Soviets were upset about in the first place). That the other side of the story that you rarely hear in the U.S. As you said, things have a way of getting manipulated and cencored by the government and media.
Click to expand...

Most Folks didn't feel very secure down here during the CMC.
There was/still is second guessing of the entire affair including JFK/RFK's collective Common Sense.
I may a tad ahead of myself but I think you catch my drift...

40+yrs later, sound familiar?

BTW, are you privy to Today's 'closed door deals'?
I'm not...I can only go by what I read/hear.
Isn't the web wonderful?

shaggie · Feb 11, 2005

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shaggie · Feb 11, 2005

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andcrs2 · Feb 11, 2005

It's politics, pure n simple.
It's been this way long as I remember.
No, I don't find it funny...not any funnier than knowing my kids will prolly never see all the remaining details of JFK's murder...

shaggie · Feb 11, 2005

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gonjbob · Feb 11, 2005

andcrs2 said:

Do you really want to know who's dangerous?

Look in N Korea...he's dangerous.

You weren't even alive during the Cuban Missle Crisis were you?
Research it, become Wiser...

Click to expand...

you need to become wiser

MadScientist · Feb 11, 2005

Humans will exploit the Earth's resorces until the Earth is thrown out of balance and die's. It will come sooner than you think if humans keep destroying things at the rate we have been. As a scientist I am sick to my stomache to hear that story, as a scientist you do your work to find truth in the world, and then to buckle under the pressure of the government and alter you results is sin.

andcrs2 · Feb 11, 2005

gonjbob said:

you need to become wiser
Click to expand...

I'm Fine.
Yourself?

Strange nobody's mentioned the latest exploits of the Pharmaceutical/Medical industries' sciences/trials.

They haven't been doing too well in the Truth arena lately.

Politicians/Government 'stretching' the Truth/outright lying is to be expected.
Aren't the Pharmaceutical/Medical industries expected to maintain a higher Standard?

Raving Sultan · Feb 11, 2005

I say bush reverse the law of gravity while he is at it. It sure will help the airline industry save money

shaggie · Feb 11, 2005

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wonkothesane · Feb 13, 2005

andcrs2 said:

It's not just this Administration,
Governments and Industries have been doing similar things since their creations/inceptions.

Spend more Time researching before making cookie cutter accusations...
Click to expand...

Well, it seems that 62 leading scientists (many of the Nobel and National Medal of Science winners) have also made this "cookie cutter accusation"

And they *have* done their research.

andcrs2 · Feb 13, 2005

wonkothesane said:

Well, it seems that 62 leading scientists (many of the Nobel and National Medal of Science winners) have also made this "cookie cutter accusation"

And they *have* done their research.
Click to expand...

*c* That may be True but Can the same be said for the bulk of Posters here/Folks in general?

As for my Quote, "cookie cutter accusations"
was used as a general response to the numerous
direct/inferred accusations "This Administration"
was/is/will be committing/allowing/orchestrating
new/unique heinous/vile acts (principals/specifics)
never associated w/any prior Administration.

Ever hear the old adage 'monkey see, monkey do'?
It happens all the Time, even here in River City…

In an attempt to include something for everyone, this Post may be a tad difficult to read.

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