www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/02/21/bush.science.ap -> www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/02/21/bush.science.ap/
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The voice of science is being stifled in the Bush admi nistration, with fewer scientists heard in policy discussions and money for research and advanced training being cut, according to panelists at a national science meeting. Speakers at the national meeting of the American Association for Advancem ent of Science expressed concern Sunday that some scientists in key fede ral agencies are being ignored or even pressured to change study conclus ions that don't support policy positions. The speakers also said that Bush's proposed 2005 federal budget is slashi ng spending for basic research and reducing investments in education des igned to produce the nation's future scientists. And there also was concern that increased restrictions and requirements f or obtaining visas is diminishing the flow to the US of foreign-born s cience students who have long been a major part of the American research community. Rosina Bierbaum, dean of the University of Michigan School of Natural Res ources and Environment, said the Bush administration has cut scientists out of some of the policy-making processes, particularly on environmenta l issues. "In previous administrations, scientists were always at the table when re gulations were being developed," she said. "Science never had the last v oice, but it had a voice." Issues on global warming, for instance, that achieved a firm scientific c onsensus in earlier years are now being questioned by Bush policy makers . Proven, widely accepted research is being ignored or disputed, she sai d Government policy papers issued prior to the Bush years moved beyond ques tioning the validity of global warming science and addressed ways of con fronting or dealing with climate change. Under Bush, said Bierbaum, the questioning of the proven science has beco me more important than finding ways to cope with climate change. One result of such actions, said Neal Lane of Rice University, a former d irector of the National Science Foundation, is that "we don't really hav e a policy right now to deal with what everybody agrees is a serious pro blem." Among scientists, said Lane, "there is quite a consensus in place that th e Earth is warming and that humans are responsible for a considerable pa rt of that" through the burning of fossil fuels. And the science is clear, he said, that without action to control fossil fuel use, the warming will get worse and there will be climate events th at "our species has not experienced before." Asked for comment, White House spokesman Ken Lisaius said, "The president makes policy decisions based on what the best policies for the country are, not politics. Kurt Gottfried of Cornell University and the Union of Concerned Scientist s said a survey of scientists in the US Fish and Wildlife Service foun d that about 42 percent said they felt pressured to not report publicly any findings that do not agree with Bush policies on endangered species. He said almost a third of the Fish and Wildlife researchers said they wer e even pressured not to express within the agency any views in conflict with the Bush policies. "This administration has distanced itself from scientific information," s aid Gottfried. He said this is part of a larger effort to let politics d ominate pure science. He said scientists in the Environmental Protection Agency have been press ured to change their research to keep it consistent with the Bush politi cal position on environmental issues. Because of such actions, he said, it has become more difficult for federa l agencies to attract and retain top scientific talent. This becomes a c ritical issue, said Gottfried, because about 35 percent of EPA scientist s will retire soon and the Bush administration can "mold the staff" of t he agency through the hiring process. Federal spending for research and development is significantly reduced un der the proposed 2005 Bush budget, the speakers said. She said the National Science Foundation funds for graduate students and for kindergarten through high school education has been slashed. NASA has gotten a budget boost, but most of the new money will be going t o the space shuttle, space station and Bush's plan to explore the moon a nd Mars. What is suffering is the space agency's scientific research eff orts, she said. "Moon and Mars is basically going to eat everybody's lunch," she said. Lane said Bush's moon and Mars exploration effort has not excited the pub lic and has no clear goals or plans. He said Bush's moon-Mars initiative "was poorly carried out and the budge t is not there to do the job so science (at NASA) will really get hurt."
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