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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 10 sepTember 2019

NOAA scientist: agency likely

broke science integrity rules

By JAY REEVES and SETH litical” and the head of the NOAA spokesman Scott
BORENSTEIN National Weather Service Smullen said Monday, “NO-
Associated Press said the Alabama office AA’s policies on scientific
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — “did what any office would integrity and communica-
The acting chief scientist at do to protect the public.” tions are among the stron-
the National Oceanic and “My understanding is that gest in the federal govern-
Atmospheric Administra- this intervention to contra- ment, and get high marks
tion said his agency likely dict the forecaster was not from third party observers.
violated its scientific integ- based on science but on The agency’s senior career
rity rules last week when it external factors including leaders are free to express
publicly chastised a weath- reputation and appear- their opinions about mat-
er office that contradicted ance, or simply put, politi- ters of agency operations
President Donald Trump’s cal,” acting chief scientist and science. The agency National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini addresses a
claim that Hurricane Dorian and assistant administrator will not be providing further meeting of the National Weather Association in Huntsville, Ala.,
threatened Alabama. for ocean and atmospher- official comment, and will Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.
Two top NOAA civil servants ic research Craig McLean not speculate on internal Associated Press
not so quietly revolted wrote to staffers Sunday reviews.” lic panic and rumors that McLean said that the
against an unsigned agen- night. Meanwhile, another ca- Dorian posed a threat to NOAA Scientific Integrity
cy press release issued late In the email, first reported reer civil servant, National Alabama. Policy tells all agency em-
Friday rebuking the Birming- by The Washington Post, Weather Service Director “They did that with one ployees to “approach all
ham weather office for McLean said he is “pursu- Louis Uccellini said fore- thing in mind: public safe- scientific activities with
saying Alabama was safe. ing the potential violations” casters in Birmingham did ty,” said Uccellini, who honesty, objectively, and
The agency’s top scientist of the agency’s science in- the right thing Sept. 1 when prompted a standing ova- completely, without alle-
called Friday’s release “po- tegrity policy. they tried to combat pub- tion at a meeting of the giance to individuals, orga-
National Weather Associa- nizations, or ideology.”
Poor People’s Campaign to register tion by asking members of He said the Friday NOAA
the Birmingham weather press release “compro-
voters on 20-state tour staff to stand. mises the ability of NOAA
“Only later, when the to convey life-saving infor-
retweets and politically mation” and “violated NO-
By MARTHA WAGGONER ing on the communities in a statement. He said based comments started AA’s policies of scientific
Associated Press and their stories; Day 2 on such votes could make a coming to their office, did integrity.”
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The voter registration and Day difference in the 2020 re- they learn the sources of The policy said employees
Poor People’s Campaign 3 on a march and rally. election bids of U.S. Sens. this information,” he said. should not “intimidate or
will begin touring more MORE — an acronym for Thom Tillis in North Caro- Kevin Laws, science and coerce employees, con-
than 20 states later this Mobilizing, Organizing, lina and Mitch McConnell operations officer for the tractors, recipients of finan-
month to bring together Registering, Educating — in Kentucky. weather service in Birming- cial assistance awards, or
residents of disenfran- will build on a multistate The original Poor People’s ham, declined comment others to alter or censor sci-
chised communities and anti-poverty tour that Campaign was estab- on Uccellini’s remarks. entific findings.”
help them register to vote. began in February and lished by the Rev. Martin “I think the speech speaks The scientific integrity pol-
The Rev. William Barber, ended with the People’s Luther King Jr. in Decem- for itself,” Laws said. icy is not criminal and has
co-chair of the cam- Moral Action Congress in ber 1967, four months be- McLean in his letter said the no punishments, said for-
paign, said Monday at a Washington. fore he was assassinated. Birmingham staff “correct- mer NOAA general coun-
news conference in Wash- “We have identified ar- Barber revived that cam- ed any public misunder- sel and deputy admin-
ington, D.C., that the tour eas all over the country paign in 2017, four years standing in an expert and istrator Monica Medina,
begins Sept. 16 in El Paso, where, if just 2% of poor after he had started the timely way as they should. who served in the Barack
Texas, and will culminate and low-wealth people “Moral Monday” move- There followed, last Friday, Obama and Bill Clinton ad-
on June 20 with an assem- and their allies are orga- ment, which organized an unsigned press release ministrations. She praised
bly on the National Mall in nized, it changes the po- protests about issues in- from ‘NOAA’ that inap- McLean and Uccellini “for
Washington. Three stops litical calculus and can cluding gerrymandering, propriately and incorrectly looking into the matter and
are planned in at least 22 make a huge electoral voting rights, LGBTQ rights contradicted the NWS fore- holding their current lead-
states, with Day 1 focus- difference,” Barber said and unions.q
caster.” ership accountable.” q