The document discusses an article reporting that EPA dropped all data regarding global warming from an upcoming "State of the Environment" report after disagreeing with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) over how to portray climate change trends. According to draft comments, EPA decided to remove the global warming section entirely after OMB distorted the language during its review. Environmental groups are not surprised given the Bush administration's skepticism about global warming.

1. ARMS jqq Page I of 4
RECORD TYPE: FEDERAL (NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR:Dana M. Perino( CN=Dana M. Perino/OU=CEQ/O=EOP [ CEQI
CREATION DATE/TTME:18-JUN-2003 18:52:46.00
SUBJECT: : Re: RoE/INSIDE EPA article today
TO:Trent D. Duffy( CN=Trent D. Duffy/OU=OMB/O=EOP@EOP [ 0MB I
READ: UNKNOWN
CC:Scott McClellan (CN=Scott McClellan/OU-WHO/O=EOP@Exchange@EOP [WHO
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
this is BS.. Lisa Harrison was JUST handed this by her staff .. . she never
got a call from Inside EPA. She is'calling the editor
----------------- Forwarded by Dana M. Perino/CEQ/EOP on 06/18/2003
06:51 PM -- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Harrison. Lisa~epamail .epa.gov
06/18/2003 06:39:13 PM
Record Type: Record
To: Doyle. Brendan~epamail .epa. gov
cc: See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
Subject: Re: RoE/INSIDE EPA article today
didn't return calls seeking comment? who'd they call? not OPA, as we
DO have a comment ...
Brendan Doyle
To: Jarrod Agen/DC/USEPA/US@EPA,
06/18/2003 05:38 brown.michael~epa.gov, Suzanne
Ackerman/DC/USE PA/US@EPA,
PM Diane Esanu, Lisa Harrison/DC/USEPA/US@EPA
cc: Daiva Balkus/DC/USEPA/US@EPA, Sonia
Altieri/DC/USEPA/US@EPA
Subject: ROE/INSIDE EPA article today
FYI.... .part of this story stems from the NACEPT's advice letter that was
mentioned in OCEM's FR notice this week ...
Brendan Doyle
Director, Outreach and Communications Staff
OET/OPRO C2811R)
US EPA
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
PHONE: 202/564-6935
file://D:SEARCH_7_9_03_CEQ_1144ffp7cbhOO3 ceq.txt 8/15/2003

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FAX: 202/565-2441
e-mail: doyle.brendanl~epa.gOV
06/18/2003 05:45 PM
…---Forwarded by Brendan Doyle/DC/USEPA/US on
Steve Young
To: Mike Flynn/DC/USEPA/US@EPA, Heather
06/18/2003 05:37 Case/DC/USEPA/USSEPA, Steve
Adams/DC/USEPA/US@EPA, Brendan
PM Doyle/DC/USEPA/US@BPA
cc:
Subject: FWD: On RoE: insideepa.com document ["climate"
issue]
06/18/2003 05:38 PM…---
…---Forwarded by Steve Young/DC/USEPA/US on
Emma
McNamara/DC/USEPA To: Steve Young/DC/USEPA/US@EPA
IUS@EPA cc:
Subject: insideepa.com document
06/18/2003 04:39
PM
2003
_omb
http://insideepa.com/secure/docnum~asP?f~epa_2001.ask&docnum=618
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Report After Fight
EPA Drops Climate Data From 'State of Environment'
With 0MB
global warming
EPA has apparently decided to drop all data regarding
from an upcoming "State of the Environment" report after the agency and
(0MB) sparred over how
the White House's Office of Management and Budget
to portray climate change trends in the report, which is slated for
the report as one of
release June 23. Agency officials have been touting
final initiatives,
outgoing EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman's
laying out the accomplishments of the Bush administration.
8/15/2003
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3. Page 3 of 4
decided to remove the
But one environmentalist says EPA apparently
the language during a
section on global warming after 0MB distorted
"it was probably better to
review of the report, saying EPA decided
distorted."
remove it than to have it say something
EPA did not return calls seeking comment.
by Whitman to provide
The report stems from an initiative championed
that will be released
information on actual environmental conditions,
end of June. Sources have already
days before Whitman's departure at the
uncertain given Whitman's
said that use of the report's findings are
departure.
report is a landmark document
Sources tracking the issue have said the
has attempted to comprehensively
because it is the first time the agency
that provide information on
develop a set of environmental indicators
including land, water and air..
the state of various environmental media,
been debating how to describe
This spring, EPA and 0MB had reportedly
Sources said 0MB was
trends in temperature changes in the report. showing climate change
reluctant to have the agency include information
represents a serious problem.
the report prepared by EPA's
But now, according to draft comments on
Policy and Technology
National Advisory Council for Environmental
(NACEPT) , the agency has entirely eliminated the global warming data.
warming issue were not in
"We were advised that data related to global
to address why the report does
the report. EPA will need to be prepared
gases, and other major
not include global climate change, greenhouse
issues," the comments say.
to review, the comments say.
EPA did not provide the report to NACEPT
on a briefing from information
The NACEPT's comments were prepared based
chief Kim Nelson.
by the anticipated
Environmental groups say they are not surprised
skepticism about global
omission, given the Bush administration's
from the Kyoto treaty.
warming and controversial decision to withdraw
shocking" the agency is
But one source says it is still "pretty that fails to discuss
releasing a report on the state of the environment it is part of "a
says
the major issue of climate change. The source to the
pattern of suppressing information that is contrary
that major new actions are
administration's pre-determined policy view"
not needed to address global warming.
on the environment, such
The source notes that previous federal reports
on Environmental Quality
as reports released by the White House Council
issue of global warming "as a
throughout the lOS0s that addressed the
the environment." That history
significant factor affecting the state of
discussion in its state of the
makes EPA's decision to leave out such
the doctor and not having your
environment report "kind of like going to
blood pressure taken,' the source says.
the report's intended
Meanwhile, the NACEPT says EPA must consider
does not contain, and how to
audience, how to portray what it does and
act on the findings when releasing it to the public.
both the intended audiences
"At release, EPA will need to clearly inform
developed and what it is
and the general public why the report was
instance, the NACEPT says, the
intended to convey," the NACEPT says. For
8/15/2003
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4. Page 4 of 4
NI4_
agency
"is the report intended to convey
I report raises questions such as [and] is the report
of such policies
policies or comment on the success trend
intndetobea 'snapshot' of the environment or will it provide
environmnhacageovrte?
data to show the health of the
relates to
EPA to address how the report
The NACEPT's comments also tell the report is national in
stat annvionmnta prgras, since
loal
scale. "To address localized concerns of the report audecEAsol
and local
equivalent information on state
concurrently -provide access to acknowledge international
scales. similarly, the report should ho
environmental issues, such as climate changes and trans-boundary
context for judging the healtho
pollution, to provide the appropriate
the U.S. environment."
information regarding why certain
The NACEPT also says EPA must provide data were excluded. "EPA will need
infrmaionwasincude whleother
proces usdtoslectinformaionfo
to clearly describe the filtering exliwhc
inclusion in the report." For instance, EPA should
even though the agency collected
environmental indicators were excluded why they were excluded, which
and
data for them, like global warming, data
include but could not because of
indicators the agency wanted to
data gaps.
gaps, and how EPA will address
Date: June 18, 2003
Tnside Washington Publishers
6182003_omb
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ceq.txt 8/15/2003
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