White House Engaged in Systematic Effort to Suppress Information on Climate Change (Sen. Amy Klobuchar)
July 9th, 2008
I was outraged – and all Americans should be outraged - that this Administration engaged in a systematic effort to suppress scientific information and the professional judgment of staff at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Environmental Protection Agency on the issue of climate change. But yesterday’s revelation by a former EPA staff member only confirmed what we suspected when we conducted Senate hearings on this issue last year – that the Administration engaged in a deliberate effort to withhold scientific research and downplay the dangers of climate change by deleting entire portions of the testimony of CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding before our committee.
Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Dr. Gerberding’s original testimony established that climate change is having serious effects on public health, air quality, and natural disasters such as wildfires. Her testimony was completely consistent with findings of the respected Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – despite Administration assertions to the contrary. The Environment and Public Works Committee was working on practical, bipartisan legislation to measure and gradually reduce greenhouse gas emissions using efficient market forces. The Administration’s obstructionism could only have been meant to hinder this important work in Congress.
Americans believe in science, and government policy should be based on the best science available. An Administration that does not believe in science – that in fact tries to suppress scientific research – is doing a disservice to the public, to trust in government, and to our efforts to make progress on key environmental challenges. Now that this information has come to light, we must renew our efforts to enact legislation that will reduce greenhouse gas pollution and address the challenge of global climate change – legislation that is based on the best science available.
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