The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s legislative affairs office has said that an internal inquiry revealed that a recent media request to interview climatologist Dr. James Hansen at the Goddard Space Institute for Space Studies was “inappropriately declined.”
NASA was responding to an inquiry launched by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee regarding allegations that the agency’s public affairs office has been filtering scientific data from a political standpoint.
The official said the action “was contrary to NASA policy, did not spring from any change in policy or in any way change NASA’s commitment to fully and transparently communicate its findings, programs, and activities to the public.”
Committee chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, and ranking member Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said the letter is an admission on the part of the agency “that manipulation of scientific statements occurred and recognizes other allegations of inappropriate editing of scientific materials.”
“We rely on NASA and other federally funded research to make critical public policy decisions affecting our health and our environment,” said Collins, adding that “concerted efforts to incorrectly portray scientific data and findings are unacceptable.”
“New charges of suppressing climate science have arisen at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Forest Service, “Lieberman said.
He called on the White House to “stop suppressing important climate change information that the public has a right and needs to know.”
The letter from NASA is available here: http://lieberman.senate.gov/documents/letters/060606nasaliebermanresponse.pdf
