Unfreakingbelievable: Score Another One for Congressional Climate Deniers

Congressional Republicans have killed a reorganization at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that would have created a National Climate Service, the purpose of which would have been to make scientific information about climate available in one place, like NOAA’s National Weather Service.

NoAA was not seeking any funding to do so, and that the reason for the reorganization was that it is attempting to meet an overwhelming demand for the data through e-mail requests and other unwieldy means.  It seems to be precisely the dissemination of scientific information at the core of GOP objections.

See today’s Washington Post for the story.  Here are a few snippets:

“’Our hesi­ta­tion,’ Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) told Lubchenco at a hearing in June, ‘is that the climate services could become little propaganda sources instead of a science source.’

At the same hearing, a key opponent to the service, Rep. Ralph M. Hall (R-Tex.), said he recognized that ‘certain climate services can provide value.’ But he fretted that the reorganization would ‘severely harm vital research at NOAA.’”

In September, Hall’s tone turned decidedly less friendly. As chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, he launched an investigation of NOAA. Hall claimed the agency was operating “a shadow climate service operation” without congressional approval.”

UPDATE:

°See two excellent pieces about the earlier incarnation of this story (last June) by Jocelyn Fong and Ben Wolfgang at MediaMatters here.

°Also click here to see the language of the recent resolution and other details at Brad Johnson’s ThinkProgress Green (earlier today)