Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 24 OcTOber 2017

EPA keeps scientists from speaking about report on climate

By MICHELLE R. SMITH with data on 24 different
Associated Press environmental indicators.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Those include stressors such
The Environmental Protec- as population, and also
tion Agency kept three climate change, such as
scientists from appearing warming temperatures, in-
at a Monday event about creased precipitation and
a report that deals in part increased sea level rise.
with climate change. “It’s a comprehensive sci-
The scientists were expect- entific update of the status
ed to discuss a report on of the bay,” he said. “It’s
the health of Narragansett not a policy document.
Bay, New England’s largest It’s a scientific report. It
estuary. doesn’t propose policy
The EPA didn’t explain ex- changes.”
actly why the scientists All four members of Rhode
were told not to. Island’s congressional del-
“EPA supports the Narra- egation were scheduled
gansett Bay Estuary, and to attend a news confer-
just this month provided ence on the report Mon-
the program a $600,000 day morning. Democratic
grant,” agency spokes- Sen. Jack Reed criticized
woman Nancy Grantham the EPA’s move, which was
said in a statement Mon- first reported by The New
day. “EPA scientists are York Times.
attending, they simply are Protesters gather outside a meeting where a climate change report was to be released, Monday, “Muzzling EPA scientists
Oct. 23, 2017, in Providence, R.I.
not presenting; it is not an Associated Press won’t do anything to ad-
EPA conference.” dress climate change,”
Thomas Borden, program him Friday afternoon to say understood that the deci- to participate in Monday’s he said. “While the Trump
director of the Narragan- two staffers who work out sion came from EPA head- event. administration tries to sup-
sett Bay Estuary Program, of its research lab in the quarters in Washington. “I advised her, you should press the facts, the Ameri-
which published the re- town of Narragansett had One of the staffers, Autumn check with your folks and can people are seeing
port, told The Associated been advised that they Oczkowski, was scheduled see if you should attend,” and feeling the real world
Press that Wayne Munns, could not attend. Munns to give the keynote at an he said. “She was advised impacts. We need to work
director of EPA’s Atlantic did not give him an expla- afternoon workshop ses- by EPA Region 1 that she on a bipartisan basis to re-
Ecology Division, called nation, but Borden said he sion. Another, Rose Martin, should not attend.” duce pollution and emis-
was scheduled to speak on The report finds that cli- sions, and this type of hos-
a panel. mate change is affecting tility toward science inhibits
“We’ve been working with air and water tempera- rather than furthers discus-
more than five research- tures, precipitation, sea sion and action.”
ers in that lab who have level and fish. About 30 people outside
contributed substantial el- Borden said scientists from the meeting Monday to
ements to our report,” Bor- a variety of agencies and protest the EPA’s actions.
den said. institutions had been work- They carried signs includ-
Tour to the Red Light Lipstixaruba@outlook.com He said after Munns’ call, ing for years on the 500- ing “Ungag the EPA” and
District with a Private he checked with a third re- page technical document, “Science not silence.”
Guide & a FREE bottle (297) 630-5329 searcher who consults for the purpose of which is to The estuary program gets
of wine... the EPA, Emily Shumchenia, examine the condition of all its funding from the
and who was scheduled the bay and the trends EPA.q