I am a tad frustrated that I have probable jury duty next week. As result, I may have to miss Henry Waxman's January 30th scheduled hearing "regarding political interference in the work of government climate change scientists." I and many others have been pushing for the new Congress to use its investigative powers in this arena for some time, and I always knew that Waxman would make it happen. Get ready to watch the Bush administration squirm. In fact, you can already see how it's going to go down when you read Waxman's letter (PDF) to White House Council on Environmental Quality chair Jim Connaughton. CEQ has been ground zero for many of the climate science related scandals coming out of the Bush administration over the past several years, and now, finally, Waxman can demand--with the force of law behind him--the behind-the-scenes documents that will illuminate in greater detail what was really going on there. Reading the letter is a true inspiration:
...the Committee's document request, as modified as a result of discussions with your staff, encompasses all communications and other documents that (1) were sent to or generated by, reference, or are in the electronic or paper files of any of the following individuals: James L. Connaughton, Phillip Cooney, Bryan Hannegan, Marty Hall, Kenneth L. Peel, Bill Holbrook, or Michele St. Martin; and (2) that relate to:
Whew. For those needing a refresher: Phillip Cooney was accused of editing climate change documents from his perch at CEQ and later moved on to work at Exxon Mobil. Man, this is going to be fun.....
a) Mr. Cooney's activities related to climate change; b) CEQ's review of and suggested edits to materials produced by other federal agencies regarding climate change; and c) Efforts by CEQ to manage or influence statements made by government scientists or experts to representatives of media regarding climate change.
