When science is sidelined, there is often an underlying story of the people who are hurt by these decisions and it is often children. Read more >
Science and Democracy
The partnership between science and democracy has played a huge role in U.S. history. But misinformation and attacks on science have strained that partnership. UCS science and democracy experts keep you informed on the latest developments, from Capitol Hill to local communities.
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Latest Science and Democracy Posts
Photo: CMRF Crumlin/Flickr
Sidelining Science Hurts Children
Jacob Carter, research scientist, Center for Science and Democracy
October 11, 2018 11:30 AM EDT
Three Reasons Bernard McNamee is a Horrible Choice for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Sam Gomberg, senior energy analyst
October 10, 2018 2:57 PM EDT
President Trump’s nomination of Bernard McNamee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) may not grab a lot of headlines but make no mistake – it’s a blatant (and oft repeated) move by the Trump administration to pollute an independent regulatory body with political operatives intent on carrying out his crony capitalism. A hearing to consider McNamee’s nomination is already set for Tuesday, October 16th – a clear sign that Trump’s political allies are trying to ram through his appointment without thoughtful consideration. But here’s three reasons McNamee is a horrible choice to be a FERC commissioner and why his potential confirmation should worry all of us. Read more >
Students at Dolores González Elementary School in Albuquerque learn traditional corn braiding Photo: Dolores González Elementary School
On Indigenous People’s Day, a Look at the Movement to Revive Native Foodways and How Western Science Might Support—For a Change
Ricardo Salvador, director, Food & Environment Program
October 8, 2018 8:00 AM EDT
“Tribes are not sovereign unless they can feed themselves,” notes Ross Racine, Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council. This is such a brutal fact that that the destruction of Native foodways was used by the U.S. government to effectively weaken, destroy and remove Native people from their ancestral lands during the period of Western colonization, genocide, expansion and cultural undermining that ran from the 17th into the present century (in the form of “Food Distribution Programs,” largely the food that has made many Native communities both dependent and among the sickest in the world.) Read more >
Kids Deserve to Have Healthy Lives: The Uncertain Fate of EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection
Kathleen Rest, executive director
October 4, 2018 4:02 PM EDT
The future of EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection (OCHP) is in doubt after its director was abruptly placed on administrative leave. Read more >
Electoral Reform Update: One State at a Time
Michael Latner, Kendall Science Fellow
October 4, 2018 10:00 AM EDT
Across the country this November, voters have an opportunity to improve the quality of U.S. elections in their states, and for the country as a whole. Read more >
