• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Zinke friend blocks science

Rogue Valley

Rogue Valley

Lead or get out of the way
DP Veteran
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
94,329
Reaction score
82,720
Location
Barsoom
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
US interior secretary's school friend blocking climate research, scientists say

36abe854-de6c-4977-9e76-6fbe1204d71b

Ryan Zinke and high-school football teammate Steve Howke

8/17/18
Prominent US climate scientists have told the Guardian that the Trump administration is holding up research funding as their projects undergo an unprecedented political review by the high-school football teammate of the US interior secretary. The US interior department administers over $5.5bn in funding to external organizations, mostly for research, conservation and land acquisition. At the beginning of 2018, interior secretary Ryan Zinke instated a new requirement that scientific funding above $50,000 must undergo an additional review to ensure expenditures “better align with the administration’s priorities”. Zinke has signaled that climate change is not one of those priorities: this week, he told Breitbart News that “environmental terrorist groups” were responsible for the ongoing wildfires in northern California and, ignoring scientific research on the issue, dismissed the role of climate change. Steve Howke, one of Zinke’s high-school football teammates, oversees this review. Howke’s highest degree is a bachelor’s in business administration. Until Zinke appointed him as an interior department senior adviser to the acting assistant secretary of policy, management and budget, Howke had spent his entire career working in credit unions.
Click to expand...

With no experience in government nor a degree in science, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke high school football pal is paid 132,000 a year to decide on what research projects the Interior Department will fund.

Their solution to minimizing forest fires? Cut all the trees down of course.

Related: White House Unveils Plans to Fight Wildfires With More Logging
 
Rogue Valley said:
US interior secretary's school friend blocking climate research, scientists say

36abe854-de6c-4977-9e76-6fbe1204d71b

Ryan Zinke and high-school football teammate Steve Howke



With no experience in government nor a degree in science, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke high school football pal is paid 132,000 a year to decide on what research projects the Interior Department will fund.

Their solution to minimizing forest fires? Cut all the trees down of course.

Related: White House Unveils Plans to Fight Wildfires With More Logging
Click to expand...

You keep thinking you'll wake up and the nightmare will end soon, but it just keeps on getting more bizarre instead!
 
Manc Skipper said:
You keep thinking you'll wake up and the nightmare will end soon, but it just keeps on getting more bizarre instead!
Click to expand...

Indeed. The only other place where government is this dysfunctional on a daily basis is perhaps Venezuela.
 
Rogue Valley said:
US interior secretary's school friend blocking climate research, scientists say

36abe854-de6c-4977-9e76-6fbe1204d71b

Ryan Zinke and high-school football teammate Steve Howke



With no experience in government nor a degree in science, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke high school football pal is paid 132,000 a year to decide on what research projects the Interior Department will fund.

Their solution to minimizing forest fires? Cut all the trees down of course.

Related: White House Unveils Plans to Fight Wildfires With More Logging
Click to expand...

Actually, "scientific research" suggests fires have diminished globally in recent decades. In those areas where ill-conceived conservation measures have led to poor forest management there are now problems. Whatever the football friend's qualifications or lack thereof, he could hardly do worse than his predecessors.
 
Somehow I suspect that this is not the whole story,
I wonder how much of the $5.5 Billion is related to fire research?
I have always thought our government should do a better job of spending the peoples money.
 
Jack Hays said:
Actually, "scientific research" suggests fires have diminished globally in recent decades. In those areas where ill-conceived conservation measures have led to poor forest management there are now problems. Whatever the football friend's qualifications or lack thereof, he could hardly do worse than his predecessors.
Click to expand...

Of course, JH cheers on the scientifically illiterate as being just as competent as the scientifically qualified.

It’s part of a larger pattern.
 
In related news:

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[h=1]Taming the EPA Regulatory Hydra: An essential first step[/h][FONT=&quot]Foreword by Paul Dreissen In recent years, the US Environmental Protection Agency published over 25% of all pages of regulations issued by all federal government agencies, including 13 of the 28 most costly rules. In fact, EPA has been responsible for half of all costs imposed by federal regulations on American businesses and families –…
Continue reading →
[/FONT]
 
Thankfully you have those who are willing to stand up for science.

Like for example that 13 federal agencies have published an extensive report about climate change under Trump’s presidency.

https://science2017.globalchange.gov/

American intelligence agencies have also warned about the security threat from climate change.

"The nation’s intelligence agencies are warning, in the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment, of global instability if climate change continues unabated, according to a report submitted for a hearing Tuesday before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

““The impacts of the long-term trends toward a warming climate, more air pollution, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity are likely to fuel economic and social discontent -- and possibly upheaval -- through 2018,” the report states."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...gencies-break-with-trump-over-climate-threats

While Trump's administrator for NASA have showed willingness to learn about the evidence of manmade global warming and change his mind.

'"I don't deny the consensus," Bridenstine said at a NASA town hall meeting. "I believe fully in climate change and that we human beings are contributing to it in a major way."

When asked why he changed his mind, Bridenstine told The Washington Post, "I heard a lot of experts, and I read a lot. I came to the conclusion myself that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, that we've put a lot of it into the atmosphere, and therefore we have contributed to the global warming that we've seen."

Bridenstine has also backed up his rhetoric with vocal support for NASA's climate missions, which have been threatened under a Trump presidency.'

https://www.space.com/40857-trumps-...n-climate-change-he-is-a-scientific-hero.html
ll-be-effectively-zero-says-ubs-researcher
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom