Harman Urges Administration To Provide Accurate Information About Climate Change

HARMAN URGES ADMINISTRATION TO PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

-- Calls Reports of Bush Officials Tinkering with Science "Troubling" --

WASHINGTON D.C.- Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) today expressed her disappointment over a report that an aide to President Bush with links to the oil industry repeatedly edited government climate reports to downplay links between emissions and global warming.

"At a time where the threat of global warming is increasing, these allegations are troubling," Harman said. "The world is in the process of taking concrete steps to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide while America sits on the sidelines."

According to the New York Times, dozens of changes were authored by Philip A. Clooney, chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Harman noted that Clooney, a former executive of the American Petroleum Institute, is reported to have no scientific training.

"The debate over the causes of global climate change must be driven by science, not ideology or the bottom line," Harman said. "The future health of our planet is at stake."

Harman has consistently called for the increased production of fuel-efficient vehicles, development of clean energy alternatives, and tax incentives for conservation to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and to promote greater U.S. energy independence. Her home, in Venice, CA, is powered entirely by solar energy.

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