Link to Letter
Link to Press Release
Washington D.C. - As part of their ongoing investigation into the scientific misconduct within the Obama Administration, Senator David Vitter (R-La.) and Senator James Inhofe, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent a letter today to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking him to explain why he consistently ignored serious complaints regarding the scientific integrity of the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) Jon Jarvis, and why these allegations were not addressed during Mr. Jarvis' nomination process.
On three occasions in 2009, as Mr. Jarvis' nomination for this Interior position was being vetted, a distinguished member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Dr. Corey Goodman, wrote to Secretary Salazar explaining in detail 21 instances of scientific misconduct by Mr. Jarvis - yet in all three instances, Secretary Salazar failed to respond. In May 2009, however, Secretary Salazar asked Mr. Jarvis to address these 21 counts on his own, but Mr. Jarvis only responded to 7 of them prior to his nomination.
Senator Vitter: "We've seen facts manipulated and science ignored across the administration while they've developed policies with huge negative effects on the economy. We want the public to be aware of the administration's scientific gimmickry, because important policy decisions by the EPA and Interior shouldn't be based on guesswork or manipulated facts - and we want the agencies to be transparent and explain their methods."
Senator Inhofe: "It is extremely troubling that 21 counts of scientific misconduct by Mr. Jarvis were either ignored or only partially addressed by Secretary Salazar, especially as Mr. Jarvis was being considered for a key post within the Department of the Interior. However, given the numerous examples of the Obama Administration using dubious science to bolster their agenda, I am not surprised. Senator Vitter and I will continue to pursue this case, as well as the many other instances of scientific misconduct with the Obama Department of the Interior and EPA, until we have answers."
Today's letter marks the latest in a series of instances uncovered by Senators Vitter and Inhofe which display a serious lack of scientific integrity within the Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Interior.
