Tag: climate change denier

Congressman who doesn’t believe in science wants to lead science committee

The following article by Dan Desai Martin was posted on the ShareBlue.com website August 31, 2018:

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher once called climate change research ‘junk science.’ Next year, he wants to chair the House Science Committee.

Dana Rohrabacher, Credit: Paul Zinken, picture-alliance, dpa, AP Images

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) dismissed climate change research as “junk science” and sings the praises of offshore oil rigs.

Now, the Republican congressman is angling to be the chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee if Republicans maintain control of Congress after November, according to Roll Call.

Rohrabacher and Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) are positioning themselves to replace the retiring Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) as head of the committee. Rohrabacher’s spokesperson points to his previous experience chairing several of the Science Committee’s subcommittees as one reason the 15-term lawmaker should gain the top spot.

View the complete article here.

Climate-denying talk radio host Trump picked for top science post now at center of Russia scandal

The following article by Natasha Geiling was posted on the ThinkProgress website October 31, 2017:

Sam Clovis, who emailed with George Papadopoulos about Russia, is going before the Senate on November 9.

Sam Clovis Credit:  Charlie Neibergall/AP

Sam Clovis, one of the Trump administration’s more controversial nominees for a political appointment, was already raising eyebrows ahead of his November 9 confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee. To start, Clovis — who has been nominated to the position of undersecretary of research, education, and economics at the United States Department of Agriculture, the agency’s top science position — has no background in the the hard sciences, nor any experience with agricultural or nutritional science. Clovis is also a staunch climate science denier who accused President Barack Obama of “race baiting” and has called progressives “the real racists.”

But on Monday, Clovis’ nomination took on new meaning when it was revealed that, while working as national co-chairman of the Trump campaign, he had encouraged George Papadopoulos, a campaign foreign policy adviser, to meet with Russian nationals in a potential effort to bolster the campaign. On Monday, unsealed court documents revealed that Papadopoulos had plead guilty to lying to federal agents about his communication with Russia. Continue reading “Climate-denying talk radio host Trump picked for top science post now at center of Russia scandal”

Trump, Prioritizing Economy Over Climate, Cites Disputed Premises

The following article by Mark Landler, Brad Plumer and Linda Qiu was posted on the New York Times website June 1, 2017:

A map showing climate anomalies during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Le Bourget, France, in 2015. Credit Stephane Mahe/Reuters

WASHINGTON — In making his case for abandoning the Paris climate accord, President Trump characterized the agreement as an economic straitjacket — one that would impose terrible burdens on Americans by shuttering the coal industry, suffocating growth and redistributing jobs and wealth from the United States to its competitors.

One thing Mr. Trump did not do in the Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon was question the underlying science behind climate change. Indeed, the president suggested the 194-nation accord did not go far enough in stemming the rise in global temperatures because of greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading “Trump, Prioritizing Economy Over Climate, Cites Disputed Premises”