EPA, White House Clash on Climate
Upcoming report changed to downplay issue, Times says

June 19, 2003

Responding to what could be her last policy battle before stepping down next week, EPA chief Christie Whitman has acknowledged that an upcoming state of the environment report will leave out a section on global warming due to differences between EPA and White House officials over “the science and conclusions on climate change.”
 
How should climate change have been handled in the upcoming EPA report?* 888 responses

Use initial EPA draft 86%
Use White House revisions 4%
Omit section, as was finally done 9%

Survey results tallied every 60 seconds. Live Votes reflect respondents' views and are not scientifically valid surveys.

“THE FIRST draft, as with many first drafts, contained everything,” she told the New York Times, which was the first to report the dispute in its Thursday editions.
“As it went through the review, there was less consensus on the science and conclusions on climate change,” Whitman added.

“So rather than go out with something half-baked or not put out the whole report, we felt it was important for us to get this out because there is a lot of really good information that people can use to measure our successes.”
Whitman, who announced last month that she was stepping down on June 27, had commissioned the report in 2001.

WHITE HOUSE SUGGESTIONS
Proposed White House revisions obtained by The Times omitted references to studies concluding that global warming is at least partly caused by rising emissions from power plants and vehicles, and could threaten health and ecosystems.

Those emissions are primarily from burning fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. Those in turn release gases like carbon dioxide, which many scientists fear are warming the Earth.

The suggested White House revisions, the Times said, included:

Omitting conclusions from a 2001 climate report by the National Research Council that humans are most likely contributing to warming. The White House had commissioned the study and President Bush had initially endorsed it in speeches.

Omitting a reference to a 1999 study showing that global temperatures had risen sharply in the previous decade compared with the last 1,000 years. White House officials instead wanted to refer to a study, partly financed by the American Petroleum Institute, questioning that conclusion.

Replacing an introductory sentence reading, “Climate change has global consequences for human health and the environment,” with a paragraph that starts: “The complexity of the Earth system and the interconnections among its components make it a scientific challenge to document change, diagnose its causes, and develop useful projections of how natural variability and human actions may affect the global environment in the future.”

What Drives Climate Change?
Small Changes Make a Big Difference

Solar input
A third of the sun's energy is reflected back into space after hitting Earth's upper atmosphere, but two thirds warms the planet and drives its weather engine.

The atmosphere
A delicate balance of gases gives Earth its livable temperature. Known as "greenhouse" gases because they trap heat inside the atmosphere, they send a portion of that heat back to Earth's surface. The gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

The oceans
Covering two thirds of Earth, oceans are the key source of moisture in the air and they store heat efficiently, transporting it thousands of miles. The oceans and marine life also consume huge amounts of carbon dioxide.

The water cycle
Higher air temperatures can increase water evaporation and melting of ice. And while water vapor is the most potent greenhouse gas, clouds also affect evaporation, creating a cooling effect.

Clouds
They both cool Earth by reflecting solar energy and warm Earth by trapping heat being radiated up from the surface.

Ice and snow
The whiteness of ice and snow reflects heat out, cooling the planet. When ice melts into the sea, that drives heat from the ocean.

Land surface
Mountain ranges can block clouds, creating ‘dry’ shadows downwind. Sloping land allows more water runoff, leaving the land and air drier. A tropical forest will soak up carbon dioxide, but once cleared for cattle ranching, the same land becomes a source of methane, a greenhouse gas.

Human influences
Humans might be magnifying warming by adding to the greenhouse gases naturally present in the atmosphere. Fuel use is the chief cause of rising carbon dioxide levels. On the other hand, humans create temporary, localized cooling effects through the use of aerosols, such as smoke and sulfates from industry, which reflect sunlight away from Earth.

Source: National Geographic; MSNBC
 

FROM SECTION TO FEW SENTENCES
The Times reported that in the end, it was decided to delete the entire section on climate change in order to avoid criticism that officials were selectively filtering science to suit policy. In place of an entire section, climate change was relegated to a few paragraphs.

Several EPA sources told The Times that the proposed revisions were mainly from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, although the Office of Management and Budget was also involved.

Whitman and her staff have had differences with White House officials in the past, especially over climate change. She has always emphasized that her role is to provide suggestions to the president and his staff, not to dictate policy from the EPA.

Whitman announced her resignation last month, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family.  

http://www.msnbc.com/news/928609.asp?0cv=CB10