WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Congressman David Wu successfully amended NASA reauthorization legislation to include a provision reaffirming the value of scientific integrity within NASA.  The amendment was in response to a report issued by NASA’s Office of the Inspector General earlier this month, which addressed the mismanagement of climate change science.  The report found that from the fall of 2004 through early 2006, the NASA public affairs office “managed the topic of climate change in a manner that reduced, marginalized, or mischaracterized climate change science made available to the general public.”

“While climate change is certainly a pressing area of scientific investigation, scientific integrity is about more than climate science,” said Congressman Wu.  “NASA staff members were currying favor with ideologues in the Bush Administration to the detriment of the American public, which is inappropriate, unethical, and unconscionable.  My amendment sends the message that Congress strongly opposes any attempts to marginalize science for political gain.”

The report was the result of an inquiry by 14 U.S. Senators who were concerned with allegations of “political interference” with the work of NASA scientists.  An investigation by the NASA Office of the Inspector General concluded that political appointees at NASA suppressed scientific findings on climate change in a way that was inconsistent with NASA’s mandate in the Space Act to allow “the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination” of information about NASA’s activities and results.

The political appointees, who held senior positions at NASA’s public affairs office, changed news releases to suppress climate change data and prohibited a scientist from participating in a media interview .  These actions were “intended to systemically portray NASA in a light most favorable to Administration policies at the expense of reporting unfiltered research results,” the report found.  NASA leadership was unaware of the scientific distortion at the time.

“The safety of astronauts who are sent into space is dependent on sound science,” said Wu.  “We would not compromise scientific integrity for political purposes in this situation.  We should not compromise scientific integrity in any situation.”  

Congressman Wu’s amendment “expresses the sense of Congress that NASA should not dilute, distort, suppress, or impede scientific research or the dissemination thereof.”

 

The NASA reauthorization legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives today and now will be sent to the Senate for consideration.

The full NASA report is available here:  http://oig.nasa.gov/investigations/OI_STI_Summary.pdf