BOEM Researcher (Interior Department) Cleared Of Any Scientific Misconduct In Polar Bear Case

[hatrack]

A long, controversial investigation of a polar bear scientist has ended with his government employer saying it does not look like he engaged in any scientific misconduct.

Charles Monnett is a wildlife researcher with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, part of the Department of the Interior. He and a colleague, Jeffrey Gleason, wrote an influential 2006 report describing apparently drowned polar bears floating in the Arctic, which they saw during a routine aerial survey of whales. Those dead bears became a symbol of the threat of climate change and melting ice, and Al Gore mentioned them in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth.

But the sightings were called into question in March 2010, after officials with Interior's Office of Inspector General received allegations of scientific misconduct. Monnett spent more than two years under investigation, and agents repeatedly asked him detailed questions about the dead-polar-bear paper.

EDIT

The final report on that investigation was delivered to BOEM about three months ago. On Friday, the agency told Monnett that no action would be taken against him — except for an official reprimand for an unrelated matter, the improper release of internal government documents back in 2007 and 2008.

EDIT

http://www.npr.org/2012/09/28/161987243/scientist-cleared-in-polar-bear-controversy

[pscot]

1. Thanks Hatrack

I was thinking about this recently, wondering if it had been resolved. They wanted to shoot the messenger. I'm glad Dr. Monnett has been exonerated. I hope he sues the bastards.

[n2doc]

2. They make it sound much harsher here:

Scientist Who Saw Drowned Polar Bears Reprimanded
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 28, 2012 at 8:05 PM ET
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska scientist whose observations of drowned polar bears helped galvanize the global warming movement has been reprimanded for improper release of government documents.

An Interior Department official said emails released by Charles Monnett were cited by a federal appeals court in decisions to vacate approval by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of an oil and gas company's Arctic exploration plan.

The official, Walter Cruickshank, deputy director of BOEM, said in a memo that an inspector general's investigation contained findings that Monnett had improperly disclosed internal government documents, which he said were later used against the agency in court. He also said the investigation made other findings in regards to Monnett's conduct, but he wasn't taking action on those. He would not specify those findings.


Cruickshank called Monnett's "misconduct very serious," and said any future misconduct may lead to more severe discipline, including removal from federal service.

more

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/09/28/us/ap-us-polar-bear-scientist.html?hp&gwh=C0610561F0AE8D810CD8E34BC31F09C9