More than 200 scientists employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say they have been directed to alter official findings to lessen protections for plants and animals, a survey released Wednesday says.
The survey of the agency’s scientific staff of 1,400 had a 30% response rate and was conducted jointly by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
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A division of the Department of the Interior, the Fish and Wildlife Service is charged with determining which animals and plants should be placed on the endangered species list and designating areas where such species need to be protected.
More than half of the biologists and other researchers who responded to the survey said they knew of cases in which commercial interests, including timber, grazing, development and energy companies, had applied political pressure to reverse scientific conclusions deemed harmful to their business.
Totally. The Healthy Forest Initiative has been pretty well disrobed as a thinly guised way of opening old growth forests up to logging, ostensibly to reduce the chance of forest fires. :roll:
Guys, as long as those who lean right (or, more accurately, anyone who actually uses the word ‘leftist’) see that they can derail a topic by just throwing out a few random insults with the words leftist or liberal in them, they’ll keep doing it. I’ve seen it time and again.
In his case it isn’t derailing, since he’s already lost the debate. It’s more like when Spike, after being humiliated by Buffy, was monloguing his ridiculous plans, and she catches him doing it.
Well let’s see, if true, this just reinforces the notions that many people already think are true. The fun thing is that it doesn’t need to be true, it just needs to be out there.
As for what will happen? Spread a few dollars around to send out memos asking scientists to report if they feel pressured, schedule workshops for training, etc.
In the end, “big business” wants what it’s used to so nothing will change.
After all the hubbub over vioxx. celebrex, etc … I honestly don’t believe anything will change and I believe that businesses will push to get unsafe drugs to market again in the future. They’ll just do a better job of covering their tracks.
