FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                CONTACT: John Donnelly
December 2, 2009                                                                                      (202) 225-2276 

Burton Requests Hearing On Climategate Scandal

Seeks Answers Before President Obama Leaves For Copenhagen 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the legitimacy behind climate science has come under fire in the wake of the Climategate scandal at the University of East Anglia, Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN-05) has called on House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman to convene a hearing before President Obama departs for the climate summit in Copenhagen next week.  Rep. Burton released the following statement after sending his request to Chairman Berman:

"It is imperative that Congress investigate and conduct public hearings on the climate research scandal that has emerged from the University of East Anglia - a situation commonly referred to as Climategate.  

"Congress and the American people deserve to have a better understanding of this controversial situation before the President proclaims our taxpayers and government committed to any sort of carbon cap-and-tax plan based on an undermined science.  I sincerely hope Chairman Berman lets the Foreign Affairs Committee air out the issues within this developing scandal prior to the President's departure for Copenhagen."

Text of the hearing request pasted below.  PDF of original document attached.

TEXT:

December 2, 2009

The Honorable Howard Berman

Chairman

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

U.S. House of Representatives

2170 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman: 

            Emails have recently come to light which draw into serious question the scientific validity of the climate change research conducted by scientists at the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia; research which forms the foundation of the conclusions and recommendations of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  As you are aware, the IPCC’s recommendations form the basis for the ongoing international negotiations on climate change being car ried out in Copenhagen, Denmark.  I believe it is imperative that the Committee fully investigate the East Anglia scandal before the U.S. delegation departs for Copenhagen; and I respectfully ask you to convene a full Committee hearing on this subject as quickly as possible.

I believe this request is justified for several reasons.  First, in 2007, the IPCC declared that evidence of global warming was "unequivocal" based on its analysis of climate data provided by the University of East Anglia and others. Countless international reports, Congressional Committee reports and Congressional Research Service documents cite the IPCC findings as authoritative. Yet, the emails and documents recently made public seem to reveal that the data supplied by the University of East Anglia was not subject to the k ind of open debate and scientific review that many of the scientists at the University or affiliated with the IPCC have claimed.  In fact, the emails and documents seem to point to a concerted and deliberate effort by the scientists at the University of East Anglia to falsify data, exclude opposing viewpoints, avoid freedom-of-information laws, and manipulate the peer-review process to justify a preordained politically motivated conclusion. 

Any actions taken by the United States to mitigate climate change will cost Billions if not Trillions of taxpayer dollars and impact the lives of every American. Republicans and Democrats agree that any policies implemented domestically or internationally to deal with climate change must be based on sound science.  The President must have the most accurate information possible before proceeding with any new climate change commitments in Copenhagen; and the American people must be convinced that the scie nce behind those commitments is sound.  A Committee hearing investigating the East Anglia scandal can achieve both goals. 

Second, the IPCC has stated it “Reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change… Review is an essential part of the IPCC process, to ensure an objective and complete assessment of current information.”  The East Anglia emails beg the question, if the IPCC lacks in conducting the scientific reviews it claims to conduct, was it deliberately misled by the researchers at East Anglia, or was it complicit in suppressing scientific data that it deemed damaging to its agenda?  As the IPCC is supported and funded by the United Nations and IPCC members (including the United States), Congress has a responsibility to the U.S. taxpayer to investigate and demand a transparent process of scientific review within UN organizations that receive our funding; especially when the science has such broad implications for U.S. and international policy. Therefore it is imperative that we know the answer to that question.  As the House Foreign Affairs Committee has jurisdiction over the United States’ involvement with the United Nations, a Committee hearing on the subject is appropriate and warranted.

Mr. Chairman, the debate surrounding the East Anglia emails will not simply go away.  We have a responsibility to the American people to investigate this matter thoroughly and completely.  I hope you will give all due consideration to my request for a hearing and I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding your proposed course of action.

I thank you in advance for your time and attention to this very serious matter. 

                                    Sincerely,

                                    Dan Burton

                                    Ranking Member

                                    Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia

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