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Oil industry lobbyist writes climate reports { June 9 2005 }

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   http://www.picayuneitem.com/articles/2005/06/09/news/17climate.txt

http://www.picayuneitem.com/articles/2005/06/09/news/17climate.txt

White House plays down role of former oil industry lobbyist in writing climate reports


Thursday, June 9, 2005 1:06 PM CDT



WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House said Wednesday that changes in government reports on global warming by a former oil industry lobbyist were part of a normal review and did not violate a pledge to rely on sound science.

"The facts point out that our reports are based on the best scientific knowledge and they're based on the inputs of scientists," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Documents provided to the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit group that helps whistleblowers, showed that a White House official who once headed the oil industry's lobbying on climate change edited administration reports on the topic in 2002 and 2003.

The official, Philip Cooney, is chief of staff of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Cooney, a lawyer without a background in science, worked earlier for the American Petroleum Institute where he headed its climate issues program.

His changes in several federal reports tended to emphasize the uncertainty of climate science and the environmental impact of climate change, according to a summary of the documents provided by the advocacy group.

Cooney's involvement in editing the reports were first disclosed Wednesday by the New York Times, based on documents from the group.

The organization is representing a whistleblower, Rick Piltz, who resigned in March from the government office that coordinates federal climate change programs.

In an interview Wednesday, Piltz disputed White House assertions that Cooney was just one of many participants on the climate reports. He said Cooney "played a central role, including having final review and signoff authority."

Piltz contended that many of Cooney's changes were aimed "at creating an enhanced sense of scientific uncertainty" about climate change and its impact, contrary to the views of professionals.

Cooney was not made available for comment Wednesday. The Council on Environmental Quality referred questions to the White House.

McClellan, the White House spokesman, rejected suggestions that Cooney had "watered down" the reports.

"The reports are based on the best available science," said McClellan. He said more than a dozen agencies, including the White House science and technology office, were involved in preparing the documents.

One concerned an October 2002 draft of "Our Changing Planet," an annual summary to Congress of government climate research. A separate document was part of a draft to a 2002 document that outlined a 10-year strategic plan for U.S. climate change policy.

The Environmental Protection Agency also worked on the documents, The agency's recently sworn-in chief, Steve Johnson, said Wednesday he was unfamiliar with the specifics of Cooney's role. Johnson said he viewed the issue as one of communications and "differences of opinion" rather than a conflict with the use of sound science.

"People both within EPA and across the administration help us make sure we're communicating, again staying true to the science, making sure that we are communicating in an effective and appropriate way," Johnson said.

He addressed the issue during a meeting with a small group of reporters.



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