Well, we can all rest a little uneasier today: thanks to a new EPA appointee, there will be a sudden and profound uptick in the environmental agency s integrity when evaluating research and formulating scientific policies. Not.
In announcing the creation of a new Orwellian-sounding position called the scientific integrity official, EPA administrator Gina McCarthy says, Dr. [Francesca] Grifo brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to EPA that will help continue our work to implement the agency s scientific integrity policy. Science is, and continues, to be the backbone of this agency and the integrity of our science is central to the identity and credibility of our work.
But Dr. Francesca Grifo comes from The Union of Concerned Luddites, um, Scientists a group that is pretty much against anything resembling progress. So, it is reasonable to ask whether the real goal here is integrity or agenda.
The latter is far from unlikely. Even a cursory look at the UCS s positions on virtually every important current issue reveals that they are nothing if not consistent in trying to throw a monkey wrench into the wheels of virtually any technology with which they disagree. And there are plenty of them.
Some of their recent opinion pieces include Do We Need GMOs? (no, of course), Nuclear Plant Security Report for 2012 (which includes the following On the plus side, no nuclear power plant was stolen last year.), and Our Failing Food System, ([W]e are growing most of this food using methods that poison and undermine our soil, water and air with unsustainable quantities of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.) And their mantra of sustainable energy means No to shale gas as well. Oh well, goodbye sustainable (and clean) energy.
At least they keep an open mind. And we at ACSH are indeed gratified that no nuclear power plants were stolen last year, since it is nearly impossible to get a decent night s sleep with such pressing issues on your mind.
And in celebration of the upcoming holiday, they have published Take A Bite (of Meat) Out of Global Warming, which claims, Next on the list, however, is what you eat and when it comes to food, meat is the biggest climate offender. Yep. Better trash your holiday dinner or the earth is going to burst into flames. Enjoy your tofu and bean sprouts tomorrow.
ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom asks, Am I being paranoid in believing that this new position has nothing to do with integrity, but rather, is simply a way to rubber stamp current and future unscientific, regressive EPA policies under the guise of impartial science? Forget the fox and the henhouse. This is more like Godzilla guarding Tokyo.