Do political considerations interfere with science when it comes to climate change? That’s the topic of the first hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Of course politics plays a role in how government deals with science. Moreover, it should. Neither realm operates in a vacuum. Science evolves, and policy must evolve with it. The pace at which policy evolves won’t often be in lockstep with the science. Sometimes, it can move faster. Most times, it must move more slowly.

To be clear, this discussion need not address whether our climate is warming. It is. It need not address whether carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has contributed to this warming. It has.

But what it must address is whether we get accurate information. And if not, is it because the Bush administration has quashed scientific inquiry or because politically correct toes are being stepped on? That’s right. I requested documents from CEQ because I wanted to learn more about allegations that administrations officials were trying to minimize the significance of climate change. I am troubled by the administration’s lackluster production of those documents.

But I’m also troubled by stories of scientists unable to publish or even finish their research because they are perceived to have the “wrong� answers or be on the “wrong side� of the science.

I did not see it as a positive development when a meteorologist on The Weather Channel called for anyone who disagrees with her view of climate science to forfeit their American Meteorological Society membership. We know more about how climate works than ever before, but it is laughable to say that we’ve reached the end of the continuum on climate science. This is no time to marginalize anyone making an honest effort to contribute to either the debate over climate policy or the debate over politics’ role in science.

We addressed this topic last year, when I served as chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, and I’m proud to say we did so to rave reviews. The Pew Center for Global Climate Change called our hearings “some of the most balanced and informative climate change hearings in memory.� The Washington Post described our work as “responsible.�

This is because we let advocates for both sides present their findings. I hope we’ve built a tradition on this that lasts.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 30th, 2007 at 8:30 am and is filed under Politics .