Bush Adminstration Blocked Scientist From Discussing Global Warming

Posted on September 21, 2006

Raw Story has obtained an email that indicates the Bush Administration blocked a NOAA scientist to appear on CNBC to discuss hurricanes and global warming. When the Department of Commerce, who should not even be handling such incidents, found out that the scientist would indicate there was a small link between global warming and larger hurricanes the scientist was not allowed to appear.

In the documents, a request from CNBC's On The Money for an appearance by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) scientist Tom Knutson was, for some reason, forwarded to the press office for the United States Department of Commerce and answered by Chuck Fuqua, who was previously the 2004 Republican National Convention Director of Media Operations.
Mister Fuqua responded by asking the NOAA what Mr. Knutson's stance on global warming's impact on hurricanes was, specifically asking if it was consistent with that of two scientists who have claimed there is no impact on hurricanes from global warming.
After being informed that Knutson believed that global warming would lead to a "very small increase in hurricane intensity" that wouldn't be felt for nearly a century, Fuqua requested that "one of the other guys" be sent.
At that point, communication between Fuqua and NOAA was suspended.

The Raw Story says this same scientist, Tom Knutson, also told the Wall Street Journal that he has been censored in the past on global warming by the Bush Administration. The Bush Administration has also edited a global warming report to downplay the link between global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.

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