By Bob Plain in Rhode Island’s Future
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| Photo by Tim Faulkner (ecoRI News). Read Tim's coverage of the aftermath of this event by CLICKING HERE. |
“I expected to be
telling a relatively simple story this morning but it turned into something
else,” said University of Rhode Island oceanography professor John King, who
contributed to the report.
He expected to present
the report with three federal Environmental Protection Agency employees who
helped him write it. The Trump Administration had different plans.
According to the New York Times, “The Environmental
Protection Agency has canceled the speaking appearance of three agency
scientists who were scheduled to discuss climate change at a conference on
Monday in Rhode Island, according to the agency and several people involved.”
Rhode Island’s
all-Democratic congressional delegation, already scheduled to appear at the
event, were not pleased.
“This event was supposed to focus on this collaborative comprehensive report and a remarkable achievement in cleaning up Narragansett Bay,” said Senator Jack Reed, at the event.
“We should be here applauding progress. However, I am disheartened and
disappointed that the Trump Administration is preventing several EPA
scientists, whose work is supported by taxpayer dollars, from publicly
presenting their research and finding today. This type of political interference
or scientific censorship, whatever you want to call it, is ill-advised and does
a real disservice to the American public and public health.”
Reed added, “I hope
the Trump Administration will look at the facts and read this report and
reconsider it’s stance on trying to muzzle scientists who don’t present
evidence that doesn’t conform to their political agenda. Great democracies
encourage the open exchange of free information.”
Congressman David
Cicilline offered even harsher words than Reed.
“It’s almost
impossible to image this sequence of events,” he said. “Scientists who are
involved in this work, deeply respected, have been prevented from presenting
their findings at this press conference at the direction of this
administration.”
Calling the decision
“dangerous,” Cicilline added, “This is something which we cannot just let pass
by. This is extraordinary. The idea that we would deny the American people
information – good, reliable facts and evidence – to develop public policy is
not only disappointing it’s dangerous. it ultimately will endanger the lives of
the American people when scientists are prevented from sharing their findings
because some in the admin want to continue this claim that climate change is
not real. this is a great danger to our democracy.”
Senator Sheldon
Whitehouse and Congressman Jack Reed also denounced the Trump Administration
decision to prevent the EPA scientists from speaking.
“The fact that we
can’t have conversation about this with the relevant federal officials is
sad,” Whitehouse said.
“We have got to get
beyond this point of stifling good science,” said Langevin. “This shouldn’t be
about a Republican or Democratic issue, this is about protecting our planet.
We’re not going to turn around the current trend without having an
understanding of the fact. I hope the Trump Administration gets that message
loud and clear.”
The report was created
by the Narragansett Bay Estuary
Program, which protects and oversees coastal and aquatic features in
Rhode Island.
Save The Bay, which
hosted the event, called the Trump Administration’s decision “travesty.”
Said spokeswoman Cindy
Sabato, “The cleanup of the Narragansett Bay estuary is a national success
story, one that would never have happened without decades of sound scientific
research and knowledge – not to mention tremendous, long-term commitment and
investment by voters, policy-makers, elected officials, government agencies,
environmental organizations and the citizenry of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
"The scientific facts will not change by silencing our nation’s scientists;
rather, our federal government could reverse decades of progress and put our
coastal communities at grave risk by pretending the science of climate changes
doesn’t exist. Now more than ever before, our local communities must stand up
and speak out for our natural resources, even as our federal government
retreats further and further from environmental progress.”
Bob Plain is the editor/publisher of Rhode Island's Future. Previously,
he's worked as a reporter for several different news organizations both in
Rhode Island and across the country.
