DOI Secretary Accused of Breaching Scientific Integrity Policy

DOI Secretary Accused of Breaching Scientific Integrity Policy

Two senior scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) — an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI) — resigned in protest over an alleged breach of the USGS’s scientific integrity policy by the Secretary of the Interior. The scientists allege that, contrary to the scientific integrity policy, the Secretary of the Interior demanded that his office be provided with information about the energy potential of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) before it was made public. DOI alleges that the demand did not violate the scientific integrity policy, which allows the pre-release of information to “government agencies.” The scientists, however, point to another section of the policy which states that “[p]articularly sensitive results . . . such as energy and mineral resource assessments and mineral commodity reports that typically have significant economic implications are not disclosed or shared in advance of public release because pre-release in these cases could result in unfair advantage or the perception of unfair advantage.”