GAP press release on stealth release of climate change transportation impacts report

Posted on Friday, March 14, 2008

A March 14 news release by the Government Accountability Project leads with: “This past Wednesday, March 12, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Climate Change Science Program quietly released a major assessment report on the likely impacts of global climate disruption on a wide range of transportation infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region. This report release was buried by the DOT, and officials have been blocking journalists from speaking with the report’s lead author.”

From the news release:

“What possible justification can there be for the stealth release of this report?” asks Climate Science Watch Director Rick Piltz. “It’s as though they don’t regard the report as significant – or these findings have significant implications for policymaking. Burying reports for this reason is wrong and unethical – but we have seen it before.

Climate Science Watch, a program of the Government Accountability Project, is dedicated to holding public officials accountable for the integrity and effectiveness with which they use climate science and related research in government policymaking.

“Public access to federal scientific and technical expertise is crucial to address the growing problems of climate change and necessary for society to make proper decisions,” added Piltz. “Federal scientists must be allowed direct communication with the press, unimpeded by politically-driven gatekeepers with an interest in blocking the truth and playing down the significance of climate research and assessment findings.”

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