Department of Interior


Photo: Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0 (Flickr)

Secretary Zinke’s Diversity Problem

, Senior Fellow, Center for Science and Democracy

April 3, 2018 5:38 PM EDT

I was a career senior executive and climate policy advisor at the Interior Department before I was involuntarily reassigned by the Trump Administration. In my role I had been focused on leading an interagency response to the slow-moving disaster in America’s Arctic, where Alaska Natives were faced daily with the impacts of a rapidly changing climate. With the safety of Americans at risk, I was stunned that the new Trump Administration would so callously leave these people to their own devices.

I should not have been surprised. Read more >

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Photo: Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0 (Flickr)

Trump Political Appointees Interfere in Scientific Grants Process Take Two: The Department of Interior

, research scientist, Center for Science and Democracy

January 10, 2018 3:33 PM EDT

The Department of Interior (DOI) has directed political appointees to begin reviewing discretionary grants to make sure that they align with the priorities of the Trump administration. The discretionary grants include any grants worth $50,000 or more that are intended to be distributed to “a non-profit organization that can legally advance advocacy” or “an institution of higher education.” The memo detailing the directive was sent by Scott J. Cameron, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget. Read more >

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Members of the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, in a December 2010 photo. USDA photo

Federal Science Advisory Boards Under Threat: Why Scientists Should Get Involved

, director, Center for Science & Democracy

June 9, 2017 10:00 AM EDT

Serving on a science advisory board for a federal agency is an interesting and in many ways rewarding experience for a scientist. I have been on a research advisory board for the Navy, advisory boards for assessing the impacts of climate change, and for the National Academy of Sciences as well on several international boards. I always find the work challenging, I learn a lot and I feel like I am making a real contribution to both science and policy-making. So, it is an honor to serve even when providing advice on contentious topics. Read more >

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Department of Interior Censors USGS Press Release on Climate Change, Flooding, and Sea Level Rise

, Deputy director, Center for Science & Democracy

May 23, 2017 11:13 AM EDT

Late yesterday, the Washington Post reported that the United States Geological Survey deleted a sentence acknowledging the link between climate change and sea level rise from an official agency press release. The USGS describes itself as the sole science agency for the Department of Interior. UCS will today formally ask the department to investigate the deletion as a violation of departmental policy. Read more >

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Congressman Ryan Zinke Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Ryan Zinke on Climate Change: What You Should Know about Trump’s Choice for Department of Interior

, deputy director, Climate & Energy Program

December 15, 2016 2:48 PM EDT

US natural and cultural resources—the parks, landmarks, and history of America—are under assault from climate change. So it is troubling that Ryan Zinke, Trump’s pick to run the Department of the Interior (DOI), seems unsure whether climate change is a real problem or not. Read more >

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