The exposure of Willie Soon's fossil fuel funding continues to be a topic of interest, particularly in the Providence Journal. Because Rhode Island is home to one of the senators who sent letters of inquiry to major energy companies and their think tank front groups, the paper has run a number of opinion pieces on the issue lately.
First was an editorial that criticizes Whitehouse for daring to try to discover whether corporations are paying scientists to represent their interests to Congress. The editorial contends that asking for funding disclosure is tantamount to "intimidating scientists" and argues it is important to foster an environment of scientific freedom because this is how "scientists who distort data may be discredited." While this is true, it completely ignores the fact that these scientists have been frequently discredited, and yet somehow keep getting called to testify on the Hill by Republicans who continue to cite their discredited science.
Senator Whitehouse responded with a letter to the editor explaining that, "No one is saying the industry 'scientists' should be silenced, just that the public should know how they’re paid." Whitehouse also presciently points out that the Journal is "a persistent mouthpiece for climate denial front groups," like Cato's Chip Knappenberger, so "it is perhaps unsurprising that [the Journal] should presume that industry-funded climate denial is legitimate science, and not a fraudulent enterprise."
Three other Rhode Island Democrats also wrote an LTE reiterating Whitehouse's concern that, "Americans have a right to know if special interests are funding purposefully misleading research to preserve their own bottom line."
Then, the Union of Concerned Scientists's Andrew Rosenberg wrote a full op-ed, driving home the point that, "Transparency in science is a must."
Finally (and perhaps in response to Whitehouse's shout-out) Cato's Chip Knappenberger has a full op-ed, accusing Whitehouse of threatening scientific freedom. But Chip confuses an important point: scientific freedom doesn't mean you're free to hide your funding, particularly when all signs suggest that funding is coming from a vested interest.
Most humorously, Chip says he thinks "free market-led adaptation" is a better policy choice than "strong-handed government-led tactics" like Whitehouse's support for a price on carbon. Which is ironic, because putting a price on carbon is a free market policy.
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