Posted: 07/16/2003
Controversy Over EPA "Cooked Books" Much Ado About Nothing
Critics Claim Consensus That Doesn’t Exist
July, 2003 – National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) scholars say it would have been misleading for the Environmental Protection Agency to include a passage stating that a scientific consensus on global warming existed in a report released earlier this month. When word leaked that it was to be omitted, environmental critics of the administration falsely accused it of a cover-up.
The simple fact that there is a debate about this passage, even within the EPA, proves no consensus exists. NCPA scholars point out that:
Those who believe global warming exists rely on theoretical climate models – regardless of what the data shows. Other scientists believe actual observations are all-important and that the theoretical models cannot capture the full complexity of the real atmosphere.
Time and again, EPA has promulgated regulations that were not scientifically supportable – or even misused scientific data. For example, in the National Assessment of Climate Change released in 2000, which purported to show the impact of warming on 18 regions of the U.S., the EPA chose two climate models that gave large temperature increases. However, in 9 of the 18 regions the two models gave directly opposite results for precipitation. For instance, North Dakota would either turn into a swamp or a desert, depending on which model one accepts.
Further, the assertion by some critics that the Bush Administration improperly influenced the EPA edits ignores an important fact. The EPA is an administrative agency. It is not an independent regulatory body that sets dockets under the APA and can do research for rulemakings on its own initiative.
For more information on this or any other energy or environmental issue, or to speak with one of the NCPA’s team of scholars, contact the NCPA’s E-Team at 800-859-1154.