Category Archives: Obama Administration

Obama’s denial of Keystone XL tar sands pipeline permit was an easy decision, for now

The congressionally imposed 60-day deadline for a permit decision gave President Obama, under pressure from both sides, a different way to get what he had sought earlier: postponing a final decision on the pipeline until after the 2012 election.  Environmentalists … Continue reading

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Don’t disrupt NOAA’s climate change activities with Obama’s proposed agency re-shuffle

“How does it help us with the things we need from NOAA?” we said to ClimateWire, questioning the President’s proposal to subsume the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into the Department of the Interior. “Is it going to help those … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Science Watch, Obama Administration | 2 Comments

“Inside Story: US 2012” – Are environmental concerns being sacrificed?

“I think we have a situation now where politics are driven by the limits that are set by concentrated corporate power,” CSW director Rick Piltz said as part of a discussion of President Obama’s record on the environment and the … Continue reading

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What to do when the White House sets science aside?

John Holdren says, “as the President’s science and technology advisor, it is my duty to ensure that when science is relevant to policy-making, the very best science—and the best thinking about that science—is at the table for consideration on its … Continue reading

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 1 Comment

NOAA scientific integrity policy, Part 2: Stronger whistleblower protections still needed

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new scientific integrity policy issued in December contains important steps in the right direction. But while NOAA states its support for whistleblower protection in very general terms, the agency made no improvements in its … Continue reading

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NOAA scientific integrity policy, Part 1: Scientists’ communication freedom still limited by Commerce Dept restrictions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new scientific integrity policy issued in December contains important steps in the right direction, but Commerce Department restrictions on public communications by NOAA scientists, imposed under the Bush Administration, remain in place.

Posted in Climate Science Watch, Obama Administration, Science Communication | 3 Comments

"Smog Rules" -- Obama, scientific integrity, and environmental policy

In his article "Smog Rules" in the current issue of Index on Censorship, CSW director Rick Piltz writes about President Obama, science integrity, and environmental policy. There remain significant questions about the strength and limits of Obama's commitment to scientific integrity, especially … Continue reading

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Gulf Coast health crisis in aftermath of BP oil blowout underscored at Keystone XL protest

President Obama, after heeding the people’s call to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline until environmental and public health concerns are thoroughly vetted, must apply the same standards in the Gulf, where the government has yet to fully assess and … Continue reading

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Obama administration to expand offshore drilling in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico

BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig ablaze (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard) "There’s been no fundamental reform that can keep the Gulf of Mexico or the Arctic safe from the next spill catastrophe.” the Center for Biological Diversity noted in response to the … Continue reading

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Federal Climate Change Adaptation Task Force 2011 progress report - one step forward

“Communities across the Nation are already experiencing a range of climatic changes," says the 2011 progress report of the federal Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. “The impacts from these changes are affecting livelihoods, infrastructure, ecosystems, food production, energy supply, national … Continue reading

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