Union of Concerned Scientists

Aug. 21, 2019 – On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that it had launched a Tomahawk cruise missile with a range “more than 500 kilometers” from a ground-based launcher at a test site in California. The purpose, it said, was to use “data collected and lessons learned from this test” to “inform the Department of Defense’s […]

July 22, 2019 – As temperatures increase, so does our reliance on things like air conditioning. That increased electric load can stress the grid, but it can also stress our pocketbooks with the increased use of A/C translating into increased electric bills. Sadly, an increasing number of people in the United States struggle to pay their electric […]

June 7, 2019 – At the EPA’s Science Advisory Board meeting, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler made comments on the agency’s proposed Restricting Science Rule that raised eyebrows for anyone who understands the basics of health studies. In his defense of the rule (which the scientific community agrees will severely hamstring the agency’s ability to rely on the best available science […]

May 11, 2018 – Today, automakers are meeting with President Trump to discuss his administration’s plans to rollback fuel efficiency and emissions standards on light-duty vehicles. Since reports of the proposal first began to leak, we’ve seen a number of statements from automakers claiming that this wasn’t what they asked for.  Unfortunately, these statements ring hollow—and their […]

April 17, 2018 – Last month, the Trump administration nominated Peter Wright from DowDuPont to serve as Assistant Administrator at the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM). This office plays a critical role in protecting public health by enforcing the Superfund program (the government’s effort to clean up sites that are contaminated with […]

WASHINGTON, February 12, 2018—President Donald Trump released his administration’s outline for an infrastructure package today. Trump’s plan raises serious concerns because it would suppress environmental reviews of new infrastructure projects, and it neglects to make sufficient investments in projects that hasten the country’s transition to clean energy and make communities more resilient to climate change, […]

January 22, 2018 – Unease. Frustration. Indignation. Experts serving as members of federal advisory committees are being frozen out of the very avenues that were designed to encourage external input on scientific issues to the federal government. A new Center for Science and Democracy report released today, Abandoning Science Advice: One Year In, the Trump […]

January 9, 2018 – Yesterday NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center released its yearly report on “billion-dollar weather and climate disasters” that affected the US in 2017. Not surprisingly, the numbers were staggering. The costs of 2017 disasters, at $306.2 billion dollars cumulatively, set a new US record that blew past previous totals. These events also resulted in […]

WASHINGTON, October 2, 2017 – Today, Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech touting the Trump administration’s efforts to delay, undermine and cut science-based safeguards. Unfortunately, the administration has ignored science and the public interest in its rush to deregulate, leaving Americans, especially low-income communities and communities of color who often face the greatest threats, […]

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2017—US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry says he does not believe carbon dioxide emissions from human activity are the primary driver of climate change, dismissing science completed by his own agency and others within the federal government. Below is a statement by Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned […]