Lampson Expresses Concern over QuikSCAT Satellite to NASA Administrator, NOAA Undersecretary
May 8, 2007 Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. Undersecretary, National Oceanic Administration U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230 Dear Undersecretary Lautenbacher, In July 2004, Members of this Committee wrote to the President to ask that NASA be directed to maintain operation of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which it had intended to shut down. We learned after NASA's announcement that data from that satellite … Continue Reading
April 27, 2007Miller Pushes for More Information from NASA on Disciplining IG Cobb
Follow this link to read Chairman Miller's letter to NASA Administrator Michael Griffin»Follow this link to read Miller's letter to NASA's Deputy Inspector General, Thomas … Continue Reading
April 26, 2007Gordon Writes to Energy Secretary Regarding Loan Program
April 26, 2007 The Honorable Samuel Bodman Secretary U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585 Dear Secretary Bodman, As Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee with jurisdiction over energy research, development and demonstration and commercial application of energy technologies, I am writing to urge the Department to promulgate regulations to implement the Loan Guarantee Program (LPG) authorized in Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 … Continue Reading
April 19, 2007Gordon, Udall Express Concern for NASA Funding to President
April 19, 2007 The President The White House Washington, DC Dear Mr. President, As chairmen of the House Science and Technology Committee and its Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, we have a strong interest in ensuring that the nation's space and aeronautics programs are healthy and robust. In that regard, we are deeply concerned about the mismatch between the resources being provided to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the tasks that it is being asked to undertake. … Continue Reading
April 03, 2007Gordon, Miller, Nelson Request Unredacted Copies of NASA IG Investigation Report
April 3, 2007Mr. Clay Johnson, IIIChairman, President's & Executive Councils on Integrity and Efficiencyc/o Office of Managment and Budget725 17th St. NW Rm. 113Washington, DC 20503Subject: Investigation of the Inspector General of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)Dear Mr. Johnson,Yesterday we received the Integrity Committee’s report on the investigation of the NASA Inspector Robert Cobb. The IC determined that Mr. Cobb had abused his authority and created a hostile … Continue Reading
April 02, 2007Gordon Releases Letter to the President Calling for Removal of NASA's Inspector General
April 2, 2007President George W. BushThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20500Dear President Bush,Late last week, the undersigned were provided with the report of the Integrity Committee (IC) of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) relating to this investigation of Robert Cobb, the inspector general of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Integrity Committee found that Mr. Cobb had abused his authority by creating a hostile and … Continue Reading
March 30, 2007PCIE Releases Investigative Report on NASA Inspector General to Committee
March 30, 2007The Honorable Brad MillerChairmanSubcommittee on Investigations and OversightCommittee on Science and TechnologyUnited States House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515Dear Mr. Chairman,I am writing in response to your request for information concerning the investigation by the Integrity Committee (IC) of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) of allegations concerning Robert Cobb, Inspector General (IG), National Aeronautics and Space Administration … Continue Reading
March 30, 2007Chairmen Gordon, Miller, Lampson Send Letter to Commerce Secretary Regarding New Media Policy
March 30, 2007 Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez U.S. Department of Commerce Mailstop 61 14th and Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20230 Dear Secretary Gutierrez, As you are aware, the House Committee on Science and Technology has been particularly conerned about efforts by media officials to censor or interfere with federal scientists communicating with the press, the public and their peers. On March 28, the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing on how media … Continue Reading
March 15, 2007Letters to Agency Administrators Regarding Media Policies
March 15, 2007 Administrator Stephen L. Johnson Environmental Protection Agency Room 3000 Ariel Rio Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20460 Dear Administrator Johnson, In March of 2006, after several allegations of agency interference with conclusions and statements made by federal scientists in their reports, particularly in the area of climate change, Dr. John H. Marburger, III, head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, met with all of the principal science … Continue Reading
March 09, 2007Gordon Requests Science & Technology Policy Director Restore Key Ozone Layer Climate Sensor
March 9, 2007 Dr. John Marburger III Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy Executive Office of the President Eisenhower Executive Office Building Washington, DC 20502 Dear Dr. Marburger, In the decision to restructure the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) developed in response to the Nunn-McCurdy process, a number of sensors were de-manifested from the NPOESS satellites. One of these was the part of the Ozone Measuring and Profiler … Continue Reading
March 09, 2007Letter to Secretary of Interior Regarding Continued Censoring of Federal Climate Scientists
March, 9, 2007 Mr. Dick Kempthorne Secretary of the Interior U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Secretary Kempthorne Yesterday, I was surprised to learn that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was attempting to muzzle one of its scientists from participating in a full discussion of conserving Arctic animals and plants at an international conference to be held in Norway. In February 26 and 27 memoranda entitled "Foreign Travel … Continue Reading
March 06, 2007Response from Clay Johnson, Chairman of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency Regarding the HUD Inspector General's Investigation of the NASA Inspector General
The Honorable Brad Miller Chairman Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight Committee on Science and Technology House of Representatives Washington, DC Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter is to confirm our agreement regarding information to be provided to the Subcommittee with regard to the investigation of allegations against Robert Cobb, NASA's Inspector General, that was undertaken pursuant to Executive Order 12993 (1996). Our agreement relates to all the relevant agencies, including … Continue Reading
December 07, 2006Responses from Chairman Dale Klein and Commissioner Gregory Jaczko, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, on Safety Planning in Next-Generation Reactor Design Standards
December 7, 2006 The Honorable Bart Gordon Ranking Member, Committee on Science United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman Gordon: On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter of October 27, 2006, in which you inquired about the actions that the NRC has taken to incorporate lessons learned from prior studies into its regulatory framework for new reactors. Specifically, your letter requests that the NRC … Continue Reading
November 30, 2006Letter to EPA Administrator: Halt Dismantlement of Library System
November 30, 2006 The Honorable Stephen Johnson Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460 Dear Administrator Johnson: We are writing to express our serious concerns over the current implementation of your plan to reorganize the library system of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We understand that EPA is in the process of closing libraries and dispersing and destroying materials. Additionally, the General Services … Continue Reading
November 21, 2006Response From Chairman, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Concerning Status of Documents at Public Reading Rooms
November 21, 2006 The Honorable Bart Gordon Ranking Member, Committee on Science United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman Gordon: I am writing in response to your letter dated October 27, 2006, wherein you requested information on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) handling of sensitive unclassified information following the events of September 11, 2001. Specifically, you inquired about the availability of sensitive unclassified … Continue Reading
October 27, 2006Letters to Secretary of Energy and Chairman, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Concerning Safety Considerations in Nuclear Plant Designs
October 27, 2006 The Honorable Samuel W. Bodman Secretary U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20585 The Honorable Dale Klein Chairman U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission One White Flint North 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738 More than 20 years ago, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sought advice for designing nuclear power plants to make them more secure from attack or accident. The NRC contracted with experts from the … Continue Reading
October 27, 2006Letter to Chairman, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Concerning Status of Documents at Public Reading Rooms
October 27, 2006 The Honorable Dale Klein Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission One White Flint North 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738 In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) temporarily halted public access to its web-site and removed more than 1,000 documents from its publicly accessible database on the grounds that they contained sensitive security information. However, I understand that the NRC never … Continue Reading
October 04, 2006Letter to NOAA Administrator Concerning Hurricane Publication
October 4, 2006 Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. (Ret.) Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 14thStreet and Constitution Avenue, NW Room 5128 Washington, DC 20230 Dear Admiral Lautenbacher: Last week, Nature magazine reported on a troubling situation in your agency involving the suppression of science. This is just the latest in a long string of such stories that have appeared this … Continue Reading
August 29, 2006Letter to NASA Administrator Concerning NASA Advisory Council
August 29, 2006 Dr. Michael D. Griffin Administrator National Aeronautics and Space Administration 300 E. Street, SW Washington, DC 20546 Dear Administrator Griffin: I am writing in response to the recent developments concerning the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). In doing so, I do not dispute your right to select the members and structure for the NAC that you consider to be most responsive to your needs. That said, I am troubled by actions that - rightly or wrongly - leave a … Continue Reading
May 12, 2006Letter to the President Requesting Dismissal of NOAA Administrator and Deputy Administrator
May 12, 2006 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20502 Dear Mr. President: We write today to ask that you act expeditiously to put a new management team in place at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The largest acquisition in the history of that agency is for the National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). As recently as March of 2005, managers … Continue Reading