May 16th, 2012
In an email yesterday to NASA employees (reproduced below), NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to scientific integrity, touting the scientific integrity policy NASA finalized in December. If only the scientists who work there could navigate through it. Read More
March 30th, 2012
Today is the deadline for federal agencies and departments to publicly announce final or “final draft” policies designed to prevent political and corporate interference in the science behind government decision-making. The results, as expected, are all over the board. We’re keeping track here. Read More
March 16th, 2012
Earlier this week, my colleague Michael gave some general background on the Food and Drug Administration and what Congress has to do this year to ensure that the agency can continue to ensure the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs and medical devices. Read More
March 7th, 2012
UCS released a survey of 997 FDA scientists this morning which found that while FDA leaders are working hard to boost scientific integrity at the agency, persistent interference by special interests continues to hinder scientists’ work. The FDA responded quickly and reasonably, stressing its successes while acknowledging that improvements can and should be made. National Public Radio science reporter Nell Greenfieldboyce was first out of the gate with a quick summary of the findings and FDA’s response. Read More
February 29th, 2012
February brought two significant pieces of good news at the EPA. The agency released its final scientific integrity policy, which was much improved over the draft it put out for public comment. And the EPA finally released a scientific assessment of dioxin, an achievement 27 years in the making. Read More
February 23rd, 2012
Under Administrator Lisa Jackson’s tenure, the EPA has worked to restore public trust in the agency. On her first day, she issued a “fishbowl” memo that committed the agency to three core values: scientific integrity, transparency, and the rule of law. This week, the EPA released its long-awaited scientific integrity policy and, as with other agencies, there is significant improvement over the first draft. Read More
January 6th, 2012
Today, along with four others, I testified before the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, popularly known as PCAST. The topic: the administration’s failure to follow the law and allow over-the-counter access to Plan B emergency contraception. Read More
December 7th, 2011
The scientific integrity policy released today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration makes today a great day for science at the agency—but it also signals that the White House and Congress must do more to address bigger, government-wide scientific integrity challenges. Read More
September 9th, 2011
On my previous post on ozone, reader Jeff asked:
1) What is the current standard for ground ozone?
2) Which businesses, specifically, are trying – I mean succeeding – in blocking the new standards?
Jeff, I felt that the answers to your questions were complex enough to warrant another post (and probably even a book!). Here they are in brief. Read More
August 28th, 2011
The Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists was started because it was just too easy for federal decision makers to use science as a screen to hide policies based on ideology and the influence of special interests. Manipulated and suppressed scientific information and censored scientists removed the barriers to justify the policies they wanted to put forward. Read More
