Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Government investigating professors who questioned climate change

Government investigating professors who questioned climate change:
The top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee is going on what many are calling a witch hunt against scholars who do not toe the line on climate change.
“Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, sparked the … dispute by asking universities to turn over documents about grants, congressional testimony and other activities involving seven scientists who have testified at congressional climate hearings,” Politico reports.
Among those targeted is Pepperdine University Professor Steven Hayward, who wrote about receiving the demand letter from Grijalva on Power Line under the headline: “Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been a Climate Skeptic?”
Let’s start by axing a simple question: If I say “two plus two equals four,” does the truth of that proposition depend on whether I’ve received a grant from the Charles G. Koch Foundation? Apparently it does for Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) …
I’ve received—and am receiving—no grants, honoraria, consulting fees, good karma baubles, or even Christmas cards from any fossil fuel interest, though I’d be proud and open about it if I did. And I didn’t consult anyone for the content of my congressional testimony over the years, though so what if I had? Is the good congressman really telling us that he is incapable of assessing factual claims and judgments about the wisdom of policy on the merits alone? That doesn’t speak well of his probity.
Colorado-based KUSA-NBC news reports that the Democrat has also targeted CU Boulder Professor Roger Pielke, Jr. because he dared challenge an Obama administration belief on climate change. NBC reports:
Roger Pielke, Jr could hardly be described as a climate change denier. Pielke has called for a carbon tax to fund technological innovation and supported increased pollution regulations to push energy producers to develop cleaner fuels.

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