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EPA scientists held back from conference: Cost-cutting or something more?
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Christian Science Monitor
Posted: February 19th, 2017
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2017/0211/EPA-scientist...
At this weeks Alaska Forum on the Environment, 17 EPA employees were no-shows and not by choice. The agency had planned to send 34 staff members to the week-long conference. But after the White House transition team demanded cutbacks, the Environmental Protection Agency only allowed half to attend. The EPAs announcement comes after months of criticism by President Trump and his advisors, and a paring-down of climate science on government websites. Regardless of the motives behind this particular action, it continues a years-long trend of cuts to government agencies travel funds. Scientific research, which involves a regular exchange of ideas and findings, has been hit especially hard. The federal government faced major pressure to curb travel spending in 2012, when an Inspector Generals report revealed that the General Services Administration had spent more than $820,000 on a lavish conference in Las Vegas. The Office of Management and Budget promptly issued a memo directing each federal agency to spend 30 percent less on travel than it had in 2010. This weeks Alaska Forum on the Environment wasnt exclusively for scientists. In addition to federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it featured military personnel and representatives from Alaskas state, local, and tribal governments. Its panels addressed topics such as climate change, oil spills, and hazardous waste, which have both science and public policy aspects.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on government corruption and climate change.
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