Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey were directed to use computer-generated models that only project climate change impacts through 2040. The scientists had previously modeled climate change impacts through 2100, which experts say provides a more accurate picture of climate change because the effects of current greenhouse gas emissions will primarily be felt after 2040.

Under the Trump Administration, 1.6 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska has been opened up for oil drilling. In the rush to complete the environmental review process before leasing can begin, scientists have been repeatedly ignored and sidelined.

The Federal Communications Commission announced plans to auction licenses for the use of electromagnetic spectrum in the 24 gigahertz band. That band is currently used to transmit weather data collected by satellites, weather balloons and radars, and ocean buoys. Scientists have warned that using the band for other purposes could lead to corruption of the weather data and/or otherwise interfere with its transmission.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was forced to delay release of an update to the World Magnetic Model due to the partial government shutdown.

Citing the partial federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cancelled its 30th annual Research Forum on Invasive Species, which had been scheduled to take place from January 8 to 11. According to USDA officials, the forum will not be rescheduled during 2019, due to difficulties “coordinating with speakers and the hotel.”

A scientist from Virginia Commonwealth University was prevented from collecting water samples in the Shenandoah National Park due to the partial government shutdown. Prior to the shutdown, samples had been collected weekly as part of a forty-year study, intended to track how streams in the park and surrounding areas are recovering from acidification.

The White House published a new report, titled “Science and Technology for America’s Oceans,” identifying research priorities for oceans science and technology. The report omits a section discussing research priorities with respect to “the ocean’s role in climate,” which had appeared in all previous versions of the report.

EPA published a draft “Air and Energy Strategic Research Action Plan” identifying research needed to address its “strategic objectives and mandates to improve air quality.” Unlike previous versions adopted during the Obama administration, the Action Plan does not list climate change preparation as a “research objective.”

DOI filed a “Request for Records Disposition Authority” with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). In the request, DOI seeks permission from NARA to destroy records relating to its conservation, land use, energy, and water programs. Many of the records document the findings of scientific research or contain data needed to conduct such research.

Scientists from Oklahoma State University and the University of Georgia were engaged by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to contribute to a study of the impact of farming on an endangered insect. The scientists allege that FWS officials dismissed concerns they raised about the study’s methodology and pressured them to “work on a rushed timeline at odds with what they saw as good science.”

Officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) cancelled a project to assess air pollution in the Houston area following Hurricane Harvey. The cancellation was ordered by the director of NASA’s Earth Science Division after officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality expressed concern that NASA’s project would “overlap with . . . existing efforts” to monitor pollution and would not be “useful.”

A survey of federal government scientists found evidence of political interference in scientific research at USDA. The survey found, among other things, that resources have been shifted away from USDA programs and offices involved in “politically contentious” research.

A survey of scientists at DOI’s Fish and Wildlife Service found that many have been told not to work on topics deemed “politically contentious” and to omit “politically contentious” words, including “climate change” and “science,” from their reports.

A survey of scientists at DOI’s U.S. Geological Survey found that many have been asked or told not to work on topics deemed “politically contentious.”

A survey of federal government scientists found evidence of political interference in scientific research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The survey found, among other things, that scientists have been told to avoid research linking environmental problems to action by industry.

The White House Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Policy jointly released a memorandum outlining the Trump administration’s research and development priorities. Unlike previous versions, issued during the Obama administration, the memorandum does not list climate change as a priority area.

Four Republican Senators requested that the Inspector General of the National Science Foundation (NSF) commence a review of its grant-making process. The Senators allege that NSF has issued several grants in violation of federal law, including one supporting a program intended to educate meteorologists about climate change.

DOI revised the charters of twenty-one resource advisory councils responsible for advising the Bureau of Land Management. Under the revised charters, councils are required to “provide recommendations for implementation” of various executive orders and secretarial orders, leading to concerns that they will be put “in a position of implementing an agenda rather than providing solid advice.”

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology announced it was reviewing the involvement of Dr. Linda Birnbaum, the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in a study of federal toxics regulation and requested that HHS also commence a review.

The mayor of Denmark in South Carolina, Gerald Wright, refused to allow a Virginia Tech professor, Marc Edwards, to test the city’s drinking water supplies for possible contamination. Mayor Wright asserted that the testing was unnecessary because the city’s water had already been assessed by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and found to be safe.

Researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory were pressured, by DOE officials, to change a report on electric system reliability during extreme weather events. The changes were purportedly intended to bolster the Trump administration’s claims that retention of coal-fired power plants is vital to maintain reliability.

DOI staff were directed to ensure that grants to outside groups promote the Trump Administration’s policies and have certain grants of $50,000 or more approved by political appointees.

A bill was introduced in the Iowa legislature that would, if enacted, prohibit the transfer or use of fetal body parts. Opponents of the bill say it will prevent vital medical research using fetal tissue.

Congress ordered the dismantling of a back-up satellite needed to investigate the impact of climate change on sea-ice in the poles.

Political appointees at the Department of the Interior (DOI) blocked release of a report, examining the impact of three widely used pesticides on endangered and threatened species. The report, which had been prepared by scientists at DOI’s Fish and Wildlife Service, found that use of the pesticides would threaten the continued existence of thousands of species.

EPA announced that it will require new and certain existing grants to be approved by a political appointee, who has told staff he is looking for references to “climate change.”

Due to state budget cuts, the Missouri Water Science Center will be forced to deactivate 20% of the state’s river and stream gauges, beginning in July 2017.

At a hearing of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Rep. Lamar Smith criticized climatologists, asserting that they often “operate outside the principles of the scientific method.” Rep. Smith also questioned the accuracy of climate projections, saying that constitute “[a]larmist predictions [that] amount to nothing more than wild guesses.”

Nevada Governor Susana Martinez vetoed a bill authorizing the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to adopt rules for research into industrial hemp. As a result of the veto, research into industrial hemp remains prohibited in Nevada.

Washington State Representative Joel Kretz and State Senator Mark Schoesler filed a scientific misconduct complaint against a Washington State University (WSU) professor in relation to a 2014 study he had conducted on wolf predation. Representative Kretz had previously sought to discredit the study, including by having the professor fired by WSU.

The head of communications for the EPA transition team indicated that agency scientists would be required to have their research reviewed before publication.