Resuscitating the office of technology assessment

B Y

RICK EDENKRANSL A I 5 3 1 S P R I N G 2 0 1 0

Resuscitating the Office of Technology Assessment

Foreword2

Edenkrans-Resuscitate the OTA-LAI 531

What is the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)?


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An office of the Congress

Created in 1972

To provide: “Unbiased information concerning the physical, biological, economic, social, and political effects” of technological applications

What is the OTA? Cont.


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Similar to:

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

The General Accounting Office (GAO)

The Congressional Research Service (CRS)

“Defunding” the OTA


1995-Republicans cut the OTA from the budget

143 Full-time staff, many Ph. D’s

Savings: $21.9 million

Six members from each party

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Victim of changing times….

OTA Achievements


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Produced about 750 studies on various subjects:

Substance abuse

Global security

Medicine

Environment

“The Honest Broker”


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Dr. Roger A. Pielke Jr.; “…we desperately need

organizations and individuals who are willing to

expand the range of options available to

policymakers by serving as Honest Brokers of Policy

Alternatives…This was once the approach of the US

Government’s Office of Technology Assessment”

Distrust of Science


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• Republicans—Generally distrust science by

government, universities

• Democrats—Generally distrust science by industry

(Unless it supports their position!)

Benefits of OTA


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Would process and report on science produced by

industry, government, and universities

Provide policymakers with unbiased and non-

partisan options

Assist policymakers by eliminating inaccurate

science reporting

Controlling and Censoring Science


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Chris Mooney: The Republican War on Science

Mark Bowen: Censoring Science: Inside the Political

Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Truth of

Global Warming

Making the President and his policies “look bad”

Neutering Regulatory Agencies


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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(OSHA)

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Shelby Amendment


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Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL)

Inserted in 920-page appropriations bill for FY 1999

Federal agencies must make their data available

Restricting research data sharing requirements of

corporations

The Data Quality Act (DQA)


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Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)

Rider in 712-page Treasury and General Government

Appropriations Act FY 2000

By request from Jim Tozzi—Reagan Administration

and Big Tobacco consultant

Mr. Tozzi—of CRE, a for-profit policy shop in the

product defense industry

The DQA cont.


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Authorizes Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop guidelines for “ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility and integrity of information”.

Goes on to say, “…affected persons are granted the right to challenge and request correction of information disseminated by a federal agency that is not in compliance with those guidelines”.

Gives industry influence over regulatory process and slows regulation of unsafe practices

Doubt Is Their Product


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Author David Michaels

Deceptive methods

Creating, using or buying:

Doubt

Uncertainty

Time

Code words: “Sound science”=Industry science “Junk

science”=Government and university science

Saintly Democrats?


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Not quite

Democrats follow the money too

Do not actively oppose science findings

Do not actively intimidate government agencies

Do not actively censor the work of scientists

The Product Defense Industry


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PR firms with mercenary scientists

Reanalyze data to skew findings

Through their corporate clients they:

Fund think tanks favorable to their cause

Conduct media PR campaigns

Fund industry lobby groups

Organize fake “grassroots” campaigns

Funding the OTA


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Annual budget—probably less than $50 million (or a

day and half of funding the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan)

Should come from General Budget, cut elsewhere if

needed

Conclusion


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Science has to be non-partisan and free from bias and coercion

Individuals, corporations and policymakers have to have at least one reliable source of science information

The government has to fund an agency that do these things

The OTA is a good candidate

Got OTA?


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Visit website of Union of Concerned Scientists

Demand the reinstatement of the OTA by writing your:

Representative

Senators

President

References


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• Kohut, A. Pew Research Center. Scientific Achievements Less Prominent Than a Decade Ago. 1615 L Street, N. W., Suite 700, Washington, D. C. 20036. 2009

• Bimber, B. The Politics of Expertise in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Office of Technology Assessment. State University of New York Press. ISBN-13: 978-0791430590. 1996

• Pielke Jr., Roger A. The Honest Broker. Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. ISBN 978-0-521-69481-0. 2009

• Bowen, M. Censoring Science: Inside the political attack on Dr. .James Hansen and the truth of global warming. The Penguin Group. 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. ISBN 978-0-452-28962-8. 2008

• Mooney, C. The Republican War On Science. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0465046751. 2005

http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1996/9603/9603.PDF Retrieved 04/10/2010

http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/ns20/topic_f.html Retrieved 04/10/2010

http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1996/9603/9603.PDF

http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/ns20/topic_f.html

References cont.


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The Union of Concerned Scientists website: http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/solutions/big_picture_solutions/restoring-the-ota.html





http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/solutions/big_picture_solutions/restoring-the-ota.html






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Resuscitating the office of technology assessment