I apologize for continuing to post stories that seem to repeat the same things over and over, but I keep finding more important tidbits that have been left out of other reports. Here is another one (new tidbit in purple letters):
Inhofe wants details on Monnett investigation, polar bears
by Dan Berman, Politico Pro, August 10, 2011
Famed global warming skeptic Jim Inhofe is just as curious as the rest of us as to why the Interior Department's inspector general is asking questions about a 5-year-old report of drowned polar bears.
The Oklahoma Republican senator wrote a letter Tuesday to the Interior inspector general demanding more specifics about the investigation of Charles Monnett, a BOEMRE wildlife biologist who was suspended last month.
Monnett's lawyers at the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility have raised the issue that the inspector general probe and suspension are connected to his 2006 paper about drowned polar bears in the Arctic that became a driver in the push to address global warming.
Interior has not said why it suspended Monnett, but BOEMRE Director Michael Bromwich has insisted it has "nothing to do with his scientific work, or anything relating to a 5-year-old journal article, as advocacy groups and the news media have incorrectly speculated."
But the connection is irresistible to Inhofe, who has long questioned global warming science and opposed the decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species.
"As ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, I am committed to ensuring that scientific integrity is upheld in the federal decision-making processes," Inhofe wrote. "In this particular case, Dr. Monnett's polar bear research has been cited in testimony of witnesses before the EPW Committee and by former Vice President Al Gore to advocate for global warming legislation."
Inhofe complains that BOEMRE staff would not tell his office more than what the agency has said in media reports: The suspension was based on concerns due to procurement issues surrounding a new University of Alberta-based research project on polar bears.
Meanwhile, Interior inspector general investigators interviewed Monnett Tuesday, and PEER immediately sent out a news release saying that the focus of the investigation was on the 2006 paper.
"With each interview, it becomes more outrageous that government funds are being spent on this crackpot probe while paying Dr. Monnett's salary to sit at home," said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "The Canadian study is a prime example of cost effective science in the public interest. It was sole source because the Canadians were paying half the cost and were already doing much of the research."
The Justice Department has already declined to make this a criminal case, the inspector general said in a letter to Monnett last month, warning that Tuesday's interview would be "administrative in nature and the results will be provided to the BOEMRE director for appropriate action upon the conclusion of the investigation."
The inspector general told Monnett it would have questions related to the Alberta study regarding compliance with federal acquisition regulations, disclosure of personal relationships and preparation of the scope of work.
Remember EPA Senate Minority site used to be Morano's baby (for Inhofe). It is one of the go-to places for denialist shenanigans.
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