US House panel rejects bill seeking agency climate-change data

Washington (Platts)--9Nov2005

A US House committee Wednesday rejected a bill that would have required
the Bush administration to turn over agency documents used to formulate its
climate change policy. 

     The House Science Committee voted 16-11 against the resolution,
supported by 150 House Democrats, that sought government scientific data on
how climate change would affect coastal US regions. 

     UN and other studies have concluded climactic changes will lead to
flooding near coasts, while having dramatic impacts in other areas. The White
House has been criticized for watering down climate reports to retain support
for its voluntary plan to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions blamed
for global warming. 

     Democrats sought all climate-change documents related to coastal
regions produced by NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
the National Science Foundation, the National Weather Service and the US
Geological Survey. "We want unbiased factual information, not selective
information that has been manipulated to serve a narrow political interest,"
said Tennessee Rep Bart Gordon, the committee's senior Democrat. 

     The vote was the latest attempt by Congress to force President Bush to
turn over data and documents related to its energy and environmental policies.
The White House declined to turn over documents related to its 2001 energy
plan and data on its 2003 proposal to streamline New Source Review regulations
for coal plants.

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