White House refuses to release climate policy documents
{{date|January 30, 2007}}

[[Image:Henry Waxman, official photo portrait color.jpg|right|120px|thumb|Chairman {{w|Henry Waxman}}]]
The [[United States]] [[US House of Representatives|House]] {{w|United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|Committee on Oversight and Government Reform}} held a hearing today on the accusation that the {{w|George W. Bush administration|Bush Administration}} had interfered with data regarding climate change in order "to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming."  On January 23, 2007, Chairman {{w|Henry Waxman}} ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]) and {{w|Thomas M. Davis|Tom Davis}} ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]) had requested documents from the {{w|Council on Environmental Quality}} but were denied access.

{{w|Henry Waxman|Waxman}} said that, "The committee isn't trying to obtain state secrets or documents that could affect our immediate national security.  We are simply seeking answers to whether the White House's political staff is inappropriately censoring impartial government scientists.  We know that the White House possesses documents that contain evidence of an attempt by senior administration officials to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming and minimize the potential danger."

During the hearing, two private advocacy groups, one of which was the {{w|Union of Concerned Scientists}}, also presented a survey to the panel that revealed that 279 scientists working for the government had been pressured into minimizing the threat of global warming in their reports.  Almost half of the 279 said that they were told to delete any references to "global warming" or "climate change" in their reports.  The scientists in the survey all worked for a wide array of government agencies: [[NASA]], [[Environmental Protection Agency]], {{w|United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture}}, {{w|Department of Energy}}, {{w|Department of Commerce}}, {{w|Department of Defense}}, and the {{w|Department of Interior}}.

== Sources ==

*{{source|url=http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=179981
|title=Report alleges widespread political interference in climate science.
|author=
|pub=Boston Herald
|date=January 30, 2007
|brokenURL = true}}
*{{source|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4510839.html
|title=Waxman seeks climate inquiry evidence
|author=
|pub=Houston Chronicle
|date=January 30, 2007
|brokenURL = true}}
*{{source|url=http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Congress-Climate.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
|title=Groups Allege Pressure on Global Warming
|author=
|pub=New York Times
|date=January 30, 2007
|brokenURL = true}}
*{{source|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16886008/
|title=Bush administration in hot seat over warming
|author=
|pub=MSNBC
|date=January 30, 2007
|brokenURL = true
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20121021170710/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16886008/
|archivedescription = archived on archive.org}}
*{{source|url=http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1159
|title=Hearing Will Question Political Influence on Government Climate Change Scientists
|author=
|pub=United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
|date=January 23, 2007
|brokenURL = true
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090325180648/https://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1159
|archivedescription = archived on archive.org}}

== External links ==

* [http://oversight.house.gov/ United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform - Homepage]

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[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
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[[Category:Environment]]
[[Category:Crime and law]]
[[Category:Culture and entertainment]]
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[[fr:États-Unis : la Maison Blanche refuse de communiquer des documents concernant sa politique sur le climat]]
Chairman 
The United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing today on the accusation that the Bush Administration had interfered with data regarding climate change in order "to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming."  On January 23, 2007, Chairman D) and
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