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[LordOfLore]

Link.

Speaking at the National Press Club Wednesday, outgoing Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced a new “scientific integrity” policy for an agency recently wracked by concerns about how an administration led by President-elect Donald Trump will treat employees who worked on climate change and other sensitive energy-related issues.

“It’s part of establishing the environment that allows scientists to do their work, to stay with us, and to recruit new people,” Moniz said in announcing the new policy.

Moniz, a physicist, gave an example of his own role in negotiating the Iran nuclear deal. “Seven of our laboratories were providing near real-time support to our negotiating positions in a highly technical negotiation,” Moniz said, “and I certainly needed correct answers, stated clearly, as opposed to anything that somebody may have thought was the answer I wanted. That would not be helpful.”

Moniz’s remarks come as the energy department releases a first-ever report on the state of 17 national laboratories, and the secretary offered praise for the scientists who work at them and highlighted extensively the centrality of science to the agency’s mission.

But the new scientific integrity policy also follows a move by the Trump transition team to send the department a questionnaire asking for the names of personnel who had attended meetings related to climate change (although Moniz did not mention this in his remarks).

The new policy states as its “cornerstone” that “all scientists, engineers, or others supported by DOE are free and encouraged to share their scientific findings and views.” That includes talking to the media, giving public talks, and even expressing views on social media (though these can’t be attributed to the government).

The seven-page policy prevents other agency employees, such as political appointees or press officers, from leaning on or torquing scientific findings. “Under no circumstance may anyone, including a public affairs officer, ask or direct any researcher to alter the record of scientific findings or conclusions,” the document states.

The document also embraces a strong commitment to whistleblower protection laws and says the agency will install a “scientific integrity official” within the Energy Secretary’s office to head up enforcement of the policy.

More in the article.

 

[capitalCORN]

Hope it's good enough to migrate all data to Canada.

 

[Quixzlizx]

I'm not sure what this is going to accomplish, but I appreciate that Obama's troll game is on point

 

[Beartruck]

Is there anything stopping Trump from just immediately rolling this back? If not, this is pointless.

 

[SonicXtreme]

yuck

 

[Evolved1]

The GOP and Trump are actual villains.

That isn't the most constructive post, but it was my honest first reaction.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Meanwhile, on January 20th...

 

[KHarvey16]

Is there anything stopping Trump from just immediately rolling this back? If not, this is pointless.

Forcing the administration to publicly remove common sense rules is not pointless.

yuck

?

 

[ClosingADoor]

Is there anything stopping Trump from just immediately rolling this back? If not, this is pointless.

Probably not, but getting through the bureaucracy to remove it will take time, and put the Trump administration in the spotlight about the issue.

 

[Dylan Sexbang]

Forcing the administration to publicly remove common sense rules is not pointless.



?

This is the administration who wants to remove a bipartisan ethics office.

 

[Blader]

Is there anything stopping Trump from just immediately rolling this back? If not, this is pointless.

Rolling things back takes time and effort, and there are finite amounts of both that the Trump administration will have.

 

[KHarvey16]

This is the administration who wants to remove a bipartisan ethics office.

Yeah, and it caused push back. Would you rather it's done more quietly and behind the scenes without any need to explicitly roll back policies?

 

[Extra Sauce]

Is there anything stopping Trump from just immediately rolling this back? If not, this is pointless.

Untrue as everything Trump and the GOP roll back makes the news which helps draw attention to their true nature.

 

[Averon]

Less than a week left in office and he still making moves. Obama's been the most active "lame duck" presidents I've witnessed.

 

[Beartruck]

Untrue as everything Trump and the GOP roll back makes the news which helps draw attention to their true nature.

Trump got off scot-free for admitting to sexual assault and is insanely vindictive. Hes not gonna give a shit how gutting an agency makes him look. All this does is give democrats ammo to fire at him with which again won't matter because he don't give a f.
Will it effect his reelection chances? Maybe, but right now he has 4 years to slash and burn uninterrupted.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

Less than a week left in office and he still making moves. Obama's been the most active "lame duck" presidents I've witnessed.

Agreed. Reminds me of the story about Carter working to free the Iranian hostages until there were literally minutes left in his presidency. And then Reagan took credit for it, of course.

 

[n00bsauce87]

I work with one of those laboratories and I spoke with one of the people who works with communications. He said that the policy isn't written in stone and the incoming secretary can change it.

I said what would be stopping them from changing it.

Bad press and being shamed from possibly doing it could prevent it. It happened with the ethics committee almost being gutted.

I said to him, clearly the Trump team doesn't care about their image.

He said you'd be surprised. He seems like 60/40 the policy will stay intact.

 

[SonicXtreme]

?

i work in a laboratory myself, and if my position was considered unnecessary i'd say fine and do my research elsewhere. no need for handcuffing policies like this one if they are doing valuable work that can be proven, textbook example of obama's need to show off and explode our government into cookie jars it should be staying out of. the last thing our government needs is more guarantees and more red tape for getting rid of unnecessary positions that now have leverage thanks to a president walking out the door trying to improve his public image, yuck.

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

Hope it actually works, but I'm sure that's wistful thinking.

 

[Extra Sauce]

Trump got off scot-free for admitting to sexual assault and is insanely vindictive. Hes not gonna give a shit how gutting an agency makes him look. All this does is give democrats ammo to fire at him with which again won't matter because he don't give a f.
Will it effect his reelection chances? Maybe, but right now he has 4 years to slash and burn uninterrupted.

My point was about public opinion, which matters even outside of election periods.

 

[DarkKyo]

Eve of Trump almost sounds like the second act subtitle in a Star Wars trilogy(where the badguys are ramping things up).

 

[KHarvey16]

i work in a laboratory myself, and if my position was considered unnecessary i'd say fine and do my research elsewhere. no need for handcuffing policies like this one if they are doing valuable work that can be proven, textbook example of obama's need to show off and explode our government into cookie jars it should be staying out of. the last thing our government needs is more guarantees and more red tape for getting rid of unnecessary positions that now have leverage thanks to a president walking out the door trying to improve his public image, yuck.

What are you talking about? Did you read the policy?

 

[Gnome Scat]

It's sad that we have to take preventative measures from our own government's interference with their research.

 

[RuGalz]

Trump will just defund what he doesn't like so doesn't it make the policy irrelevant?

 

[Skyball Paint]

Trump will just defund what he doesn't like so doesn't it make the policy irrelevant?

It'll create more bad publicity and it'll make his already abysmal approval ratings sink further.

 

[KHarvey16]

Trump will just defund what he doesn't like so doesn't it make the policy irrelevant?

I don't think such granular control over projects exists.

 

[metalslimer]

i work in a laboratory myself, and if my position was considered unnecessary i'd say fine and do my research elsewhere. no need for handcuffing policies like this one if they are doing valuable work that can be proven, textbook example of obama's need to show off and explode our government into cookie jars it should be staying out of. the last thing our government needs is more guarantees and more red tape for getting rid of unnecessary positions that now have leverage thanks to a president walking out the door trying to improve his public image, yuck.

Uh...what are you talking about?

Anyway, yes it's great to have some of these policies explicity laid out. Every little bit of pushback against Trump helps if you want to make this a 4 vs 8 year term

 

[gaugebozo]

My funding comes from the DOE, and everyone is scared shitless.

i work in a laboratory myself, and if my position was considered unnecessary i'd say fine and do my research elsewhere. no need for handcuffing policies like this one if they are doing valuable work that can be proven, textbook example of obama's need to show off and explode our government into cookie jars it should be staying out of. the last thing our government needs is more guarantees and more red tape for getting rid of unnecessary positions that now have leverage thanks to a president walking out the door trying to improve his public image, yuck.

What lab do you work in? This describes none that I know of. The scariest part is that it's not other scientists that would find your work unnecessary.

I don't think such granular control over projects exists.

True, Donald J Trump is not going to be doing site visits or three year grant reviews. He's going to be picking people who pick people who do this. Do you think that's enough of a buffer?

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

i work in a laboratory myself, and if my position was considered unnecessary i'd say fine and do my research elsewhere. no need for handcuffing policies like this one if they are doing valuable work that can be proven, textbook example of obama's need to show off and explode our government into cookie jars it should be staying out of. the last thing our government needs is more guarantees and more red tape for getting rid of unnecessary positions that now have leverage thanks to a president walking out the door trying to improve his public image, yuck.

Either you didn't read the OP you haven't been paying attention to the news lately.
This is not about what you mentioned.

 

[TheMan]

so pathetic that these measures have to even be considered.

 

[PopeReal]

i work in a laboratory myself, and if my position was considered unnecessary i'd say fine and do my research elsewhere. no need for handcuffing policies like this one if they are doing valuable work that can be proven, textbook example of obama's need to show off and explode our government into cookie jars it should be staying out of. the last thing our government needs is more guarantees and more red tape for getting rid of unnecessary positions that now have leverage thanks to a president walking out the door trying to improve his public image, yuck.

Real post? Or comrade post?

 

[TheOMan]

i work in a laboratory myself, and if my position was considered unnecessary i'd say fine and do my research elsewhere. no need for handcuffing policies like this one if they are doing valuable work that can be proven, textbook example of obama's need to show off and explode our government into cookie jars it should be staying out of. the last thing our government needs is more guarantees and more red tape for getting rid of unnecessary positions that now have leverage thanks to a president walking out the door trying to improve his public image, yuck.

LOL - which lab do you work for???

 

[WhateverItTakes]

You don't get it guys, SonicXtreme is doing just the biggest research, like, the hugest you've ever seen. His lab don't want him? All of the best labs will want them anyway, and he can do the research he wants, when he wants. Why wouldn't they want his work anyway, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!?!