White House edits CDC climate testimony

[ProSense]

White House edits CDC climate testimony

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer 26 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The White House severely edited congressional testimony given Tuesday by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the impact of climate change on health, removing specific scientific references to potential health risks, according to two sources familiar with the documents.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Atlanta-based CDC, the government's premier disease monitoring agency, told a Senate hearing that climate change "is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health of Americans."

But her prepared testimony was devoted entirely to the CDC's preparation, with few details on what effects climate change could have on the spread of disease. Only during questioning did she describe some specific diseases that likely would be affected, again without elaboration.

Her testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee had much less information on health risks than a much longer draft version Gerberding submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review in advance of her appearance.

<...>

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., the committee's chairman, produced a CDC chart listing the broad range of health problems that could emerge from a significant temperature increase and sea level rise

They include fatalities from heat stress and heart failure, increased injuries and deaths from severe weather such as hurricanes; more respiratory problems from drought-driven air pollution; an increase in waterborne diseases including cholera, and increases vector-borne diseases including malaria and hantavirus; and mental health problems such as depression and post-traumatic stress.

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Bush shows just how unconcerned he is with public health and safety.

[journalist3072]

1. I posted it in LBN earlier....eom

[Poiuyt]

3. Not everyone goes to LBN

I know that I don't

[nam78_two]

2. K&R

Par for the course ....

[Bluebear]

4. K/R

[ProSense]

5. The administration’s war on science — revisited

The administration’s war on science — revisited

Posted October 24th, 2007 at 8:30 am

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a Senate panel yesterday that climate change “is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health of Americans.” If that sounds a little vague and non-specific, there’s a good reason — the White House refused to let her say what she wanted to say.

<...>

A CDC official familiar with both versions told the AP that Gerberding’s draft “was eviscerated.” Among the deletions were “details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming and the scientific basis for some of the CDC’s analysis on what kinds of diseases might be spread in a warmer climate and rising sea levels.”

Consider the big picture here. We have a CDC, financed by taxpayers, committed to public safety. We have a CDC director, whose salary is financed by taxpayers, prepared to tell senators the truth. We have CDC research, financed by taxpayers, pointing to potential public-health consequences associated with climate change.

And we have a White House that believes the truth should be muzzled, and information should be kept from the public, because it conflicts with the Bush agenda.

This might be amusing if a) it weren’t so serious; and b) it didn’t happen all the damn time.

Let’s not forget, for example, that in June 2005, the New York Times uncovered the fact that the White House hired Philip Cooney, a former lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, to be chief of staff of the president’s Council on Environmental Quality. As part of his responsibilities, Cooney re-wrote government reports on global warming, editing out scientific conclusions he didn’t like, and substituting the conclusions of scientists with his own politically-motivated opinions.

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[spanone]

6. ...and this is legal?

<snip>removing specific scientific references to potential health risks, according to two sources familiar with the documents.

goddam these fuckers

[LSK]

7. meanwhile California burns, Atlanta is out of water and NOLA is still wrecked

But nothing to worry about with Climate Change.

:eyes:

[Duppers]

8. kick

they really must think their money can save them. and most of the country thinks we're crazy to even mention this.

gawd, do I hate dumbasses.