This Wednesday the Union of Concerned Scientists chair Kurt Gottfried issued a statement calling for the return of "scientific integrity in policy making." The brief statement says "decisions about science-related policies [should] be based on facts" and that scientific conclusions should "not be suppressed or misrepresented."
UCS has noted that advisory panels on issues such as Arms Control and Bioethics have been dismissed or meddled with and scientific conclusions--when at odds with the Bush administration party line--are often quashed. A report last year by the House Government Reform committee's minority office raises similar concerns.
In related science news, GovExec reports that the Park Service Advisory Board has called for better science (i.e. more resources devoted to science research) at the National Park Service. At least some have linked purportedly weak science at NPS with the Bush administration. According to Howard McCurdy, NPS volunteer and professor of public administration with expertise in science policy at American University, "The Bush administration has not emphasized science ... to the same extent that has occurred under previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic."
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