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December 2010 Issue
OIG Investigation Into Alleged Misrepresentation Of Drilling Moratorium Peer Review Published
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) completed in November its investigation into the allegation that senior U.S. Department of the Interior (DOl) officials, in an effort to help justify their decision to impose a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, misrepresented that the moratorium was reviewed and supported by a group of scientists and industry experts.
After reviewing the 30-Day Report to the President, these experts expressed concern that the report's executive summary was worded in a manner that implied that the experts had also peer reviewed and supported a policy decision by the Secretary of the Interior recommending a six-month moratorium on deepwater exploratory drilling, which was included in the summary.
The OIG reported that all DOl officials interviewed stated that it was not their intention to imply that the moratorium had been peer reviewed by the experts, and that when the experts' concern was brought to their attention, DOI officials promptly issued an apology to the experts via conference calls, letters and personal meetings.
The OIG said it reviewed the final e-mail exchange between DOl and the White House and found that the White House had revised and reordered the executive summary, placing the peer review language immediately following the moratorium recommendation. This caused the distinction between the secretary's moratorium recommendation, which had not been peer reviewed, and the safety recommendations contained in the 30-Day Report, which had been peer reviewed, to become effectively lost, resulting in the implication that the moratorium recommendation had been peer reviewed.
The OIG also reviewed the provisions of the Information Quality Act (IQA) relative to the findings from the investigation to address the question of whether or not the IQA had been violated. The IQA directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue government-wide guidelines that "provide policy and procedural guidance" designed to ensure the integrity of "information ... disseminated by federal agencies."
They found that while the 30-Day Report's executive summary could have been more clearly worded, the department has not definitively violated the IQA. For example, the recommendation for a moratorium is not contained in the safety report itself.
Furthermore, the executive summary does not indicate that the peer reviewers approved any of the report's recommendations.
The department also appears to have adequately remedied the IQA concerns by communicating directly with the experts, offering a formal apology and publicly clarifying the nature of the peer review, the OIG report said.
Commenting on the report, Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, released the following statement.
"I am concerned with the growing trend within this administration to mischaracterize scientific and technical peer review to justify political decisions," Broun said. "Last month, the president's Oil Spill Commission highlighted another instance where [Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol] Browner mischaracterized peer review. This glib approach to science and how it informs policy decisions deserves our continued attention in the next Congress."
NOAA Scientists Receive Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Three NOAA scientists have been chosen to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is an honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers, NOAA said.
"It is very gratifying that NOAA scientists are honored early in their careers by this significant award," said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "We are immensely proud of these three individuals. They represent the best of NOAA science. While they are being lauded for specific work, this award also recognizes the promise of future contributions to science and the nation."
The recipients are J. Christopher Taylor, an ecologist at the National Center for Coastal Ocean Science's Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, North Carolina; Matthew Menne, a physical scientist at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina; and Charles Stock, an oceanographer at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey.
Taylor was nominated for leading research in the development and use of new underwater sonar technologies that make coastal ecosystem assessments more efficient, safe and cost effective.
Menne was nominated for his use of innovative methods in developing high-quality climate datasets, including identifying and correcting inaccuracies in U.S. temperature records.
Stock's contributions include the use of computer models to better understand a range of climate and ecosystem dynamics, such as predicting harmful algal blooms and how food webs vary from region to region.
Costello Will Not Pursue Ranking Membership Of the Science and Technology Committee
The second-ranking Democrat on the House Science and Technology Committee, Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), issued a statement in early November saying he does not intend to replace departing chairman Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.).
"After much consideration, I have decided not to pursue the ranking member position on the House Science and Technology Committee during the 112th Congress," Costello said. "I am deeply committed to my work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and there is a great deal of important legislation to address next year.
"I want to maintain my focus on these issues, in which I have invested so much time and attention, and which should be a major part of our continued efforts to improve the economy," Costello continued.
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