Texas Congressman Lamar Smith Declares War on NASA and EPA Climate Science Research

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Lamar Smith, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, has declared war on the Obama administration, NASA and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to undermine attempts to prevent dangerous climate change, report Kyla Mandel and Brendan Montague from Washington DC, USA.

Speaking at the Heartland Instituteโ€™s climate denier conference in Washington DC today, the Texas congressman described how three subpoenas for EPA staff emails and texts have now been issued following claims about โ€œsecret emailsโ€ and personal use of email accounts by theย agency.ย 

This follows a similar-spirited freedom of information request submitted to the EPA by Chris Horner, a senior legal fellow for the Energy and Environment Legal Institute supported by the ExxonMobil funded Competitive Enterpriseย Institute.

Smith, chairman of the science, space and technology committee said at the conference that โ€œRegulation should be based on sound science not scienceย fiction.โ€

โ€œThe science is clear and overwhelming but not in the way the President says. The fact is there is little evidence that climate change causes extreme weatherย events.โ€

Clean Powerย Plan

Smithโ€™s speech comes only two days after a federal court dismissed a lawsuit by the nationโ€™s largest coal companies and 14 coal-producing states that sought to block President Obamaโ€™s clamp-down on power plantย emissions.

โ€œThe presidentโ€™s power plan is nothing more than a power play. It will give the government more control over Americansโ€™ daily lives. These regulations stifle economic growth, destroy jobs and increase energy prices,โ€ saidย Smith.

He continued: โ€œThe EPA justify their dictatorial approach by claiming regulations will slow global climate change and reduce carbon emissions. But heavy handed regulation and arbitrary emission targets will do lasting damage to our economy all for little environmentย impact.โ€

In an effort to counter the EPAโ€™s โ€œmost aggressive regulatory agenda in its 40 year history,โ€ Smithโ€™s Secret Science Reform Act was passed by the House in March to prohibit the EPA form implementing a regulation unless it makes public all related data, scientific analyses andย materials.ย 

Smith argues the bill will increase transparency and stop the EPA using โ€œhidden and flawedโ€ science. However, 40 scientific institutions and universities have now opposed the bill arguing it will severely hamper the EPA form carrying out its mission to protect public health and theย environment.

Lord Monckton praised Smithโ€™s speech as โ€œthe best informed, most passionate and splendid speeches on climate I have every heard from anyย politician.โ€

Monckton joined Smith in his attack on science in calling for a Congressional investigation into the conduct of the Smithsonian and Harvard University in their treatment of Willie Soon, who failed to disclose conflicts of interest in his research funded byย ExxonMobil.

Cut Off Theย Money

In response to audience calls to โ€œcut off the moneyโ€ from climate change research Smith highlighted the fact that NASAโ€™s budget on earth science was cut by 40 percent just last week. This was met with cheers and applause from theย room.

He added: โ€œThe second cut we made that you will appreciate [is to the] National Science Foundation, [which] we also have jurisdiction for, we reset [its] priorities, which we are entitled toย do.ย 

โ€œWe moved a lot of money out of the social science into the hard sciences that typically bear results. Weโ€™re trying to get the NSF out of the business of awarding grants such as ยฃ800,000 for someone to write an off-broadway musical on climateย change.โ€

Heartlandย Activists

Earlier in the day, the conference was kicked-off by Senator James Inhofe, who now chairs the Senate environment and public works committee despite calling global warming โ€œthe greatest hoax every perpetrated on the Americanย people.โ€

Inhofe urged Heartland activists to go out and fight against what he called โ€œthe myth of globalย warming.โ€

โ€œIf you look at the Republican [Presidential] candidates, theyโ€™re all denying this stuff,โ€ Inhofe said. โ€œTheyโ€™re all with people in thisย room.โ€

He continued: โ€œThis is where you guys come in now, youโ€™re all activists, I really meanย that.โ€

Inhofe, whose message was that โ€œGod is still up thereโ€, later told reports that the Pope Francis should butt out of climate change: โ€œThe pope ought to stay with his job, and weโ€™ll stay withย ours.โ€

He concluded his speech with a call to arms: โ€œWeโ€™ve got a country weโ€™ve got to save, and weโ€™ve got to do it together. If you join us, if we do this as a team, weโ€™ll be doing the Lordโ€™s work and he will richly bless you for it.ย Amen.โ€

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Kyla is a freelance writer and editor with work appearing in the New York Times, National Geographic, HuffPost, Mother Jones, and Outside. She is also a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists.

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