Deutsch, G

=<ul class="has-no-list-styles list-columns-two" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: none; columns: auto 2; padding: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Criminal Law</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Estate Planning</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Family Law</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Personal Injury</li></ul><dd class="dsc-primary small-font" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 160px 0px 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 0.875rem !important;">State Bar of Texas</dd><dd class="dsc-primary small-font" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 160px 0px 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 0.875rem !important;">ID Number: 24087413</dd><dt class="dsc-primary small-font" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 160px 0px 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 0.875rem !important;"><time class="date date_start" datetime="2013" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Since 2013</time></dt><a href="http://americanloons.blogspot.com/2013/06/618-george-deutsch.html">http://americanloons.blogspot.com/2013/06/618-george-deutsch.html</a><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3389237510977809477" itemprop="description articleBody" style=""><div class="MsoNormal" style="">George Carlton Deutsch III was a press officer of the United States space agency NASA, appointed by Dubya after having worked on the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign. He has gone down in history as the very symbol of wingnut efforts to obstruct and suppress science that does not conform to political ideology, and for <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/20/aaas-report-5-science-under-attack/" style="">cutting support to scientists whose results do not line up</a> with convenient denialist talking points. In short, Deutsch was instrumental in implementing an American version of the celebrated scientific policy of Lysenkoism.<o:p xmlns:o="o" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">Deutsch gained particular notoriety in late 2005/2006 when <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/02/poor_superman.php" style="">he instructed</a> a NASA website designer to add the word “theory” after every occurrence of the phrase “Big Bang”, writing in his memo to the designer that Big Bang is “not proven fact; it is opinion ... It is not NASA's place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator ... This is more than a science issue, it is a religious issue.” More <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/04/outrage-at-attacks-on-nasa-science/" style="">here</a>.<o:p xmlns:o="o" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">It created a bit of a stir, which partially <a href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/breaking-news-george-deutsch-did-not.html" style="">ended in the discovery that Deutsch had lied</a> about having a B.A. degree in journalism on his resume, which <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/02/07/deutsch-resigns-from-nasa/" style="">forced him to resign</a>. True to his inborn persecution complex Deutsch later <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/10/AR2006021001766.html" style="">claimed</a> that the only reason his appointment was controversial was because he was a Christian, which, while blatantly untrue, landed Deutsch a career as yet another wingnut on <a href="http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Wingnut_welfare" style="">wingnut welfare</a> for what he and his co-conspirators deemed to be ideological reasons.<o:p xmlns:o="o" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">Dr. James E. Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and several other career NASA scientists and public affairs officials, complained in interviews about “intensifying efforts by political appointees in NASA, including Mr. Deutsch, to control more closely” the content of their public statements, whereas <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/science/04climate.html?_r=2" style="">Deutsch claimed</a> – without anything resembling competence on the issue – that Dr. Hansen exaggerated the threat of global warming, and pretty much that NASA’s mission should be to use research to underpin already existing political agendas regardless of whether science or reality, those liberal conspiracies, agreed.<o:p xmlns:o="o" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">The always perceptive Deutsch <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/strangerfruit/2006/02/05/making-george-look-good-part-2/" style="">had earlier been noticed</a> for claiming that the ties between Al-Qaeda and Iraq were so clear that any informed person should see them.<o:p xmlns:o="o" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="">Diagnosis: As a professionally appointed derp (apparently his job description), Deutsch exhibited spectacular failure to distinguish reality from ideology (i.e. facts from wishful thinking), and a horrifying display of the dangers when such morons achieve positions of power. <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/06/11/nasa-admits-deutsch-muzzled-scientist/" style="">Don’t for a moment think that Deutsch is an isolated case</a>, however.<o:p xmlns:o="o" /></div><div style="clear: both;"><div class="post-footer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 14px; background-image: url(" https="https" resources.blogblog.com="resources.blogblog.com" blogblog="blogblog" data="data" tictac="tictac" tictac_grey.gif="tictac_grey.gif" background-position="background-position" left="left" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip"><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1">Posted by <a class="g-profile" href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/08875360501107597863" rel="author" title="author profile" data-gapiscan="true" data-onload="true" data-gapiattached="true" style="">G.D. </a>at <a class="timestamp-link" href="http://americanloons.blogspot.com/2013/06/618-george-deutsch.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link" style=""><abbr class="published" itemprop="datePublished" title="2013-06-30T04:14:00-04:00" style="cursor: help; border: none;">4:14 AM</abbr></a></div><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-2">Labels: <a href="http://americanloons.blogspot.com/search/label/anti-science" rel="tag" style="">anti-science</a>, <a href="http://americanloons.blogspot.com/search/label/climate%20change%20denialism" rel="tag" style="">climate change denialism</a>, <a href="http://americanloons.blogspot.com/search/label/persecution%20complex" rel="tag" style="">persecution complex</a>, <a href="http://americanloons.blogspot.com/search/label/politics" rel="tag" style="">politics</a>, <a href="http://americanloons.blogspot.com/search/label/wingnuttery" rel="tag" style="">wingnuttery</a></div></div>==

bowen DN
JUAN GONZALEZ: And in your book, you talk quite a bit about what was going on in the Bush administration in reaction to Dr. Hansen’s statements and viewpoints. In some of the clips that we ran, people kept referring to this young “pipsqueak” or this political appointee. Talk about Michael Deutsch [sic], the young man right out of college, and his efforts to muzzle Dr. Hansen. MARK BOWEN: OK, his name is George Deutsch. JUAN GONZALEZ: I’m sorry. George Deutsch, yes. MARK BOWEN: He was a twenty-four-year-old political appointee. He was in an unusually senior position for a person of his experience or lack of experience. He had come straight from the Bush-Cheney war room for the reelection campaign. As it turned out, he had neglected to graduate from college, although he had put that on his resume. And according to the person who hired him for this post, he told her also that he had graduated from college, point blank. But it’s not really true to say that he was the person who squelched Jim Hansen. He was acting clearly on orders from the top two or at least the second-in-command of public affairs at NASA at the time, a fellow named Dean Acosta, who is the assistant — I don’t know, they have complicated names — assistant — deputy assistant administrator for public affairs. And Mr. Deutsch — Mr. Acosta was working in concert with people from the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the White House. The way that it played out, because they were so cunning about doing it, was that all the standard media outlets could pin it on was this young man. The New York Times, for instance, left it at that. And so, in my book, I go into fairly complete detail about exactly what was going on, because they were very consciously not leaving a paper trail, telling people not to send emails on this issue, and trying to keep it all — they would often — they would hold meetings where there would be generally two senior political appointees and one career NASA person, so there would be no witnesses at the NASA person’s level. And then that person would be told not to put anything in writing and not to send emails about it, only to communicate by telephone and voice or in meetings. But this George Deutsch, unfortunately, he was kind of young and inexperienced, and he did leave an email trail, and that was part of the reason that the New York Times even printed the story, was because there was at least some evidence of a documentary sort. It’s not true that it was just George Deutsch doing it. AMY GOODMAN: So here was this young man, George Deutsch, who you had to go through, you had to get approval for to do your interviews with the public, with reporters; is that right, Dr. Hansen? DR. JAMES HANSEN: Well, yeah, after my talk at AGU, I was told that I had to have prior approval to speak to the media. And for a few days, I followed that procedure, and they did disallow me to speak to National Public Radio, for example, and they sent a substitute instead of me. And then NPR decided they didn’t want to do the interview. And there were a couple of other cases like that. But then I decided I wasn’t going to let this continue in the long run, and so that was when I contacted other media and Andy Revkin wrote an article for the New York Times. AMY GOODMAN: Well, Dr. Hansen, last year you testified at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Also called to testify was James Connaughton, the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. This is some of what Connaughton had to say.===

2004 B-C

43. George Deutsch — As a young, inexperienced press officer for NASA, Deutsch “told public affairs workers to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html">limit reporters’ access</a> to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word ‘theory’ at every mention of the Big Bang.” He <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html">resigned in 2006</a> after it was discovered he had lied on his resume, <a href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/breaking-news-george-deutsch-did-not.html">falsely claiming</a> that he had a journalism degree from Texas A&M.

is he connected to kathie olsen?

George Carlton Deutsch III is a former press aide in <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=NASA" title="NASA">NASA</a>'s public affairs office who was accused of telling "public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word 'theory' at every mention of the Big Bang." He was forced to resign in 2006 after it was discovered he had not graduated from college as he had clamed on his résumé.<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a>

"Deutsch's educational record was first challenged on Monday [February 6, 2005] by Nick Anthis, who graduated from Texas A&M last year with a biochemistry degree and has been writing a Web log on science policy, <a href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/" class="external text" title="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">scientificactivist.blogspot.com</a>."

Deutsch's "resignation came on the same day that officials at Texas A&M University confirmed that he did not graduate from there [in the Class of 2003], as his résumé on file" at NASA "asserted". <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_note-1" title="">[2]</a>

In emails to reporters after his resignation Deutsch complained there was a "culture war" in the government over <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Climate_change" title="Climate change">climate change</a>. "Anyone perceived to be a Republican, a Bush supporter or a Christian is singled out and labeled a threat to their views. I encourage anyone interested in this story to consider the other side, to consider Dr. [James E.] <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=James_E.Hansen" title="James E. Hansen">Hansen</a>'s true motivations and to consider the dangerous implications of only hearing out one side of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Global_warming" title="Global warming">global warming</a> debate," Deutsch wrote in the email. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C.Deutsch#cite_note-2" title="">[3]</a>

In April 2006, Deutch further attacked Hansen in an article for <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cybercast_News_Service" title="Cybercast News Service">Cybercast News Service</a> by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Marc_Morano" title="Marc Morano">Marc Morano</a>, who would later go on to work in the press office of anti-global warming activist Sen. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=James_Inhofe" title="James Inhofe" class="mw-redirect">James Inhofe</a>.<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_note-3" title="">[4]</a>

<h2><a name="SourceWatch_Resources" id="SourceWatch_Resources">SourceWatch Resources</a></h2>

<ul>

<li><a name="SourceWatch_Resources" id="SourceWatch_Resources">     </a><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bush_administration_cronyism_and_incompetence" title="Bush administration cronyism and incompetence">Bush administration cronyism and incompetence</a></li>

</ul>

<h2><a name="Resources" id="Resources">Resources</a></h2>

<li id="cite_note-0"><a name="Resources" id="Resources">     </a><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_ref-0" title="">↑</a> Andrew C. Revkin, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html" rel="nofollow">"A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA"</a>, The New York Times, February 8, 2006.</li>

<li id="cite_note-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_ref-1" title="">↑</a> Andrew C. Revkin, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html" rel="nofollow">"A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA"</a>, The New York Times, February 8, 2006.</li>

<li id="cite_note-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_ref-2" title="">↑</a> Juliet Eilperin, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/10/AR2006021001766.html" class="external text" title="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/10/AR2006021001766.html" rel="nofollow">"Censorship Is Alleged at NOAA"</a>, The Washington Post, February 11, 2006.</li>

<li id="cite_note-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_ref-3" title="">↑</a> <a href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=/SpecialReports/archive/200604/SPE20060417a.html" class="external text" title="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=/SpecialReports/archive/200604/SPE20060417a.html" rel="nofollow">"Media Darling on 'Global Warming' Assailed by Colleagues</a>, CNSNews.com, April 17, 2006.</li>

</ol>

<h2><a name="External_links" id="External_links">External links</a></h2>

<ul>

<li><a name="External_links" id="External_links">    Andrew C. Revkin, </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/science/earth/29climate.html?ex=1139547600&en=e17c542054b7a053&ei=5070" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/science/earth/29climate.html?ex=1139547600&en=e17c542054b7a053&ei=5070" rel="nofollow">"Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him,"</a> New York Times, January 29, 2006: "The scientist, James E. Hansen, longtime director of the agency's <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Goddard_Institute_for_Space_Studies&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Goddard Institute for Space Studies (page does not exist)">Goddard Institute for Space Studies</a>, said in an interview that officials at NASA headquarters had ordered the public affairs staff to review his coming lectures, papers, postings on the Goddard Web site and requests for interviews from journalists."</li>

<li>Andrew C. Revkin, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/science/04climate.html?r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1139407699-Ee3jJJ9ohw9Ss1hEEHgazA" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/science/04climate.html?r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1139407699-Ee3jJJ9ohw9Ss1hEEHgazA" rel="nofollow">"NASA Chief Backs Agency Openness,"</a> New York Times, February 4, 2005.</li>

<li>david78209, <a href="http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2006/02/george_deutsch_1.html" class="external text" title="http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2006/02/george_deutsch_1.html" rel="nofollow">"George Deutsch Update,"</a> NASA Watch, February 7, 2006.</li>

<li><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/tag/NASA" class="external text" title="http://www.dailykos.com/tag/NASA" rel="nofollow">"Deutschie, you're doing a heckuva job!"</a> Daily Kos, February 7, 2006.</li>

<li>Andrew C. Revkin, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html?r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html?r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin" rel="nofollow">"A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA,"</a> New York Times, February 8, 2006.</li>

<li>Nick Anthis, <a href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/nasa-science-censor-resigns.html" class="external text" title="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/nasa-science-censor-resigns.html" rel="nofollow">"NASA Science Censor Resigns,"</a> The Scientific Activist, February 8, 2006.</li>

<li>Juliet Eilperin, "<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/10/AR2006021001766.html" class="external text" title="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/10/AR2006021001766.html" rel="nofollow">Censorship Is Alleged at NOAA: Scientists Afraid to Speak Out, NASA Climate Expert Reports</a>", Washington Post, February 11, 2006; Page A07.</li>

</ul>

<div id="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Category:Scandals" title="Category:Scandals">Scandals</a> | <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Category:Science" title="Category:Science">Science</a> | <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Category:Public_relations_professionals" title="Category:Public relations professionals">Public relations professionals</a></div>

</div>

===

Posted by: cq on February 9, 2006 at 11:09 PM | <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2006_02/008191.php#819764">PERMALINK</a> <a id="819769" name="819769"> </a>

<a id="819769" name="819769">From the radio interview:</a>

"Dr. James Hansen has for a long time been a proponent of a particular global warming agenda - that being that global warming is a horrific problem that will destroy the earth very soon and that steps need to be taken to stop it. What he's willing to do is to smear people and to misrepresent things to the media and to the public to get that message accross. What's sad here is there are partisan ties of his all the way up to the top of the Democratic party and he's using those ties and using his media connections to push an agenda, a worst case scenario agenda of global warming, a "the sky is falling" agenda of global warming. And anybody who is even perceived to disagree with him is labeled a censor and is demonized and vilified in the media - and the media of course is a willing accomplice here.

It bears mentioning that there has yet to be any proof of any scientific watering down or any scientific censorship coming from NASA in regards to Hansen or anybody else. What you do have is hearsay coming from a handful of people with who have clear partisan ties, and they're really coming after me as a Bush appointee and the rest of the Bush appointees because this is a partisan issue. It's a cultural war issue. They do not like Republicans. They do not like people who support the president. They do not like Christians. And if you're perceived as disagreeing with them or being one of those people, they will stop at nothing to discredit you."

Global warming is now a Culture War issue?

===

he didn't actually graduate? p 16 foolme  resigned when busted

George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said.  ...

Mr. Deutsch, 24, was offered a job as a writer and editor in NASA's public affairs office in Washington last year after working on President Bush's re-election campaign and inaugural committee, according to his résumé. No one has disputed those parts of the document.

According to his résumé, Mr. Deutsch received a "Bachelor of Arts in journalism, Class of 2003."

Yesterday, officials at Texas A&M said that was not the case.

"George Carlton Deutsch III did attend Texas A&M University but has not completed the requirements for a degree," said an e-mail message from Rita Presley, assistant to the registrar at the university, responding to a query from The Times.

===

diskospedia: In one call, George Deutsch, a recently appointed public affairs officer at NASA headquarters, rejected a request from a producer at National Public Radio to interview Dr. Hansen, said Leslie McCarthy, a public affairs officer responsible for the Goddard Institute. Citing handwritten notes taken during the conversation, Ms. McCarthy said Mr. Deutsch called N.P.R. "the most liberal" media outlet in the country. She said that in that call and others, Mr. Deutsch said his job was "to make the president look good" and that as a White House appointee that might be Mr. Deutsch's priority.

George C. Deutsch <strike>is</strike> was one of three <a href="http://science.hq.nasa.gov/press/contacts.html" class="external text" title="http://science.hq.nasa.gov/press/contacts.html" rel="nofollow">NASA National Public Affairs Officers</a>.

<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>Subject</td><td>Location</td><td>Point of Contact</td><td>Phone</td></tr><tr><td>Science</td><td>HQ</td><td><a href="mailto:dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov" class="external text" title="mailto:dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov" rel="nofollow">Dwayne Brown</a></td><td>(202) 358-1726</td></tr><tr><td>Science</td><td>HQ</td><td><a href="mailto:erica.hupp-1@nasa.gov" class="external text" title="mailto:erica.hupp-1@nasa.gov" rel="nofollow">Erica Hupp</a></td><td>(202) 358-1237</td></tr><tr><td>Science</td><td>HQ</td><td><a href="mailto:george.deutsch-1@nasa.gov" class="external text" title="mailto:george.deutsch-1@nasa.gov" rel="nofollow">George Deutsch</a></td><td>(202) 358-1324</td></tr></tbody></table>

The request was from producers at <a href="http://www.onpointradio.org/" class="external text" title="http://www.onpointradio.org/" rel="nofollow">On Point</a>, Tom Ashbrook's current events talk show. The request was generated in November. On February 03, 2006 Jim Hansen finally appeared on the On Point radio show titled <a href="http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2006/02/20060203_a_main.asp" class="external text" title="http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2006/02/20060203_a_main.asp" rel="nofollow">NASA and Global Warming</a>. There is a summary at the previous link as well as links to Windows and Real streaming audio however the show is also available via podcast and here is a <a href="http://cdn.npr-podcasts.speedera.net/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast//330/510053/5188837/WBUR_5188837.mp3" class="external text" title="http://cdn.npr-podcasts.speedera.net/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast//330/510053/5188837/WBUR_5188837.mp3" rel="nofollow">direct link to the 18.5MB mp3 file</a>.

On February 4, 2006 the NYT <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/science/04climate.html?ex=1296709200&en=485e8873aed34738&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/science/04climate.html?ex=1296709200&en=485e8873aed34738&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that NASA's administrator Michael D. Griffin has sent a memo to all 19,000 NASA employees that states: "It is not the job of public-affairs officers to alter, filter or adjust engineering or scientific material produced by NASA's technical staff." George C. Deutsch's background and role are further described in this article.

<blockquote>George Deutsch is a 24 year old political appointee (appointed by President Bush) working as a public affairs officer at NASA. He was a 2003 graduate of the journalism program at Texas A&M. Here is more from the NY Times article: The Big Bang memo came from Mr. Deutsch, a 24-year-old presidential appointee in the press office at NASA headquarters whose résumé says he was an intern in the "war room" of the 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. A 2003 journalism graduate of Texas A&M, he was also the public-affairs officer who sought more control over Dr. Hansen's public statements. In October 2005, Mr. Deutsch sent an e-mail message to Flint Wild, a NASA contractor working on a set of Web presentations about Einstein for middle-school students. The message said the word "theory" needed to be added after every mention of the Big Bang. The Big Bang is "not proven fact; it is opinion," Mr. Deutsch wrote, adding, "It is not NASA's place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator." It continued: "This is more than a science issue, it is a religious issue. And I would hate to think that young people would only be getting one-half of this debate from NASA. That would mean we had failed to properly educate the very people who rely on us for factual information the most."</blockquote>

On July 24, 2003 George C. Deutsch wrote an oped column published in the Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M titled <a href="http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/news/2003/07/24/Opinion/Lies-Behind.The.Curtain-513385.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com" class="external text" title="http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/news/2003/07/24/Opinion/Lies-Behind.The.Curtain-513385.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com" rel="nofollow">"Lies behind the curtain, 'Truth' anti-tobacco campaign misleads consumers about industry practice"</a>. In the column George is defending the tobacco companies from he considers spurious an inaccurate negative representations made by an anti-tobacco campaign called <a href="http://www.thetruth.com/" class="external text" title="http://www.thetruth.com/" rel="nofollow">Truth</a> (warning, site requires Flash 8). Here is how George concludes:

<blockquote>Well, if millions of dollars are being spent defaming an industry, people should know who the major players in the industry are and what offenses each company has committed. "Truth" gives no such information in its ads or on its Web site. Instead, it takes obscure tobacco industry documents and outdated practices and manipulates the facts so that it seems as if all tobacco companies operate this way. This is unacceptable from a group that supposedly prides itself on candor and honesty. In reality, tobacco companies aren't trying to mislead anybody; they admit they're trying to sell cigarettes. They do not brainwash people into liking their products. Besides, smokers themselves cannot be left out of the equation, as they choose to smoke . A needless indictment of the tobacco industry will not change this. Peoples' decisions are their own to make. The big tobacco companies that "truth" so openly demonizes have long been taking steps to educate the public about the risks of smoking. In just one example, Altria -- formerly Philip Morris -- has spent 2003 distancing itself from past industry practices by encouraging people to quit smoking in its advertisements and offering valuable smoking prevention links on its Web site. In reality, there is only one group that openly lies about the tobacco industry: "truth."</blockquote>

On Feb 4, 2006 the blogger <a href="http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/" class="external text" title="http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/" rel="nofollow">World O' Crap</a> published a piece with links to <a href="http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/2006/02/04.html#a2120" class="external text" title="http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/2006/02/04.html#a2120" rel="nofollow">three other columns written by George C. Deutsch for the Battalion</a> where Deutsch defends Scott Peterson by claiming that Satanists could have killed Laci Peterson, backs up Cheny's claim that there were strong ties between Saddam Hussein's Iraq regime and al-Qaida, and states that any idea that Rumsfeld encouraged torture is absurd.

--student: The idea that NASA let a 24-year-old journalism major, with no experience in science or technology, other than writing a few articles about video games, determine what scientists were able to communicate to the public was pretty bad.

---

George Carlton Deutsch III is a former press aide in <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=NASA" title="NASA">NASA</a>'s public affairs office who was accused of telling "public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word 'theory' at every mention of the Big Bang." He was forced to resign in 2006 after it was discovered he had not graduated from college as he had clamed on his résumé.<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a>

"Deutsch's educational record was first challenged on Monday [February 6, 2005] by Nick Anthis, who graduated from Texas A&M last year with a biochemistry degree and has been writing a Web log on science policy, <a href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/" class="external text" title="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">scientificactivist.blogspot.com</a>."

In emails to reporters after his resignation Deutsch complained there was a "culture war" in the government over <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Climate_change" title="Climate change">climate change</a>. "Anyone perceived to be a Republican, a Bush supporter or a Christian is singled out and labeled a threat to their views. I encourage anyone interested in this story to consider the other side, to consider Dr. [James E.] <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=James_E.Hansen" title="James E. Hansen">Hansen</a>'s true motivations and to consider the dangerous implications of only hearing out one side of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Global_warming" title="Global warming">global warming</a> debate," Deutsch wrote in the email. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C.Deutsch#cite_note-2" title="">[3]</a>

In April 2006, Deutch further attacked Hansen in an article for <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cybercast_News_Service" title="Cybercast News Service">Cybercast News Service</a> by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Marc_Morano" title="Marc Morano">Marc Morano</a>, who would later go on to work in the press office of anti-global warming activist Sen. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=James_Inhofe" title="James Inhofe" class="mw-redirect">James Inhofe</a>.<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_note-3" title="">[4]</a>

<h2><a name="SourceWatch_Resources" id="SourceWatch_Resources">SourceWatch Resources</a></h2>

<ul>

<li><a name="SourceWatch_Resources" id="SourceWatch_Resources">         </a><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bush_administration_cronyism_and_incompetence" title="Bush administration cronyism and incompetence">Bush administration cronyism and incompetence</a></li>

</ul>

<h2><a name="Resources" id="Resources">Resources</a></h2>

<li id="cite_note-0"><a name="Resources" id="Resources">         </a><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Deutsch#cite_ref-0" title="">↑</a> Andrew C. Revkin, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html" rel="nofollow">"A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA"</a>, The New York Times, February 8, 2006.</li>

</ol>

<h2><a name="External_links" id="External_links">External links</a></h2>

<ul>

<li><a name="External_links" id="External_links">        Andrew C. Revkin, </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/science/earth/29climate.html?ex=1139547600&en=e17c542054b7a053&ei=5070" class="external text" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/science/earth/29climate.html?ex=1139547600&en=e17c542054b7a053&ei=5070" rel="nofollow">"Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him,"</a> New York Times, January 29, 2006: "The scientist, James E. Hansen, longtime director of the agency's <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Goddard_Institute_for_Space_Studies&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Goddard Institute for Space Studies (page does not exist)">Goddard Institute for Space Studies</a>, said in an interview that officials at NASA headquarters had ordered the public affairs staff to review his coming lectures, papers, postings on the Goddard Web site and requests for interviews from journalists."</li>

<li>

</li></ul>

</div>

---

Every month, Hansen’s lab takes the Earth’s temperature, monitoring 10,000 temperature gauges around the planet. Year by year, the average temperature rises. Last year was the warmest yet—a fact that his superiors, at one point, told him not to release. Hansen’s office released the data anyway.

...It was after this presentation that Hansen was assigned George Deutsch, the young political operative, to manage his media relations. Deutsch’s supposed journalism degree from Texas A & M quickly was exposed as a fraud, and he was forced to resign, meanwhile pouting that he had been a victim of a Democrat ambush. Deutsch’s qualification for the job was his service on the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign.

Hansen himself is a political independent who readily acknowledges that he voted for John Kerry in 2004. After the Deutsch scandal, NASA issued new rules protecting the rights of scientists to communicate their work to the public.

http://www.progressive.org/mag/johansen0806

The Paul Revere of Global Warming

By Bruce E. Johansen, August 2006 Issue

===

wiki

George Carlton Deutsch III was a press officer of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> space agency <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA" title="NASA">NASA</a>. He was appointed to the position by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush">George W. Bush</a>, having previously worked in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush_presidential_campaign,_2004" title="George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004">Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign</a> "War Room" and on the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-NYT4-1">[1]</a>

<h2>Contents</h2>

</div>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#Biography">1 Biography</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#References">3 References</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#External_links">4 External links</a></li>

</ul>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

<h2>Biography</h2>

Deutsch gained notoriety in late 2005 and early 2006, when it was reported that he had instructed a NASA website designer to add the word "theory" after every occurrence of the phrase <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang" title="Big Bang">Big Bang</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-NYT4-1">[1]</a> In his memo to the website designer, Mr. Deutsch wrote that the Big Bang is "not proven fact; it is opinion... It is not NASA's place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator... This is more than a science issue, it is a religious issue." The memo also noted that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_Stylebook" title="AP Stylebook">AP Stylebook</a> calls for the usage of the phrase "Big Bang theory".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-NYT4-1">[1]</a>

Prior to the 2004 Bush/Cheney presidential campaign, Deutsch had been a student at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_A%26M_University" title="Texas A&M University">Texas A&M University</a>. His NASA résumé falsely asserted that he had a B.A. degree in journalism, but in February 2006 a blogger at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scientific_Activist" title="The Scientific Activist">The Scientific Activist</a> discovered that he had never graduated.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-2">[2]</a> This was subsequently confirmed by Texas A&M, and Mr. Deutsch resigned from NASA.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-NYT8-3">[3]</a> Deutsch later returned to Texas A&M and completed his degree that year.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-4">[4]</a>

Dr. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E._Hansen" title="James E. Hansen" class="mw-redirect">James E. Hansen</a>, the director of NASA's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddard_Institute_for_Space_Studies" title="Goddard Institute for Space Studies">Goddard Institute for Space Studies</a>, and several other career NASA scientists and public affairs officials had been interviewed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a> in January 2006. In these interviews, they complained about "intensifying efforts by political appointees in NASA, including Mr. Deutsch, to control more closely" the content of their public statements.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-NYT10-5">[5]</a> Deutsch, speaking to the New York Times, gave his opinion that Dr. Hansen had exaggerated the threat of global warming. He denied lying to NASA about his college degree.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_note-NYT10-5">[5]</a>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design" title="Intelligent design">Intelligent design</a></li>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_D._Brown" title="Michael D. Brown">Michael D. Brown</a></li>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach_the_controversy" title="Teach the controversy" class="mw-redirect">Teach the controversy</a></li>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Republican_War_on_Science" title="The Republican War on Science">The Republican War on Science</a></li>

</ul>

<h2>References</h2>

<li id="cite_note-NYT4-1">^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-NYT4_1-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-NYT4_1-1">b</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-NYT4_1-2">c</a> Revkin, Andrew (2006-02-04). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/science/04climate.html">"NASA Chief Backs Agency Openness"</a>. The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-06-06.</li>

<li id="cite_note-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-2">^{</a></span}> Anthis, Nick (2006-02-06). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/breaking-news-george-deutsch-did-not.html">"BREAKING NEWS: George Deutsch Did Not Graduate From Texas A & M University"</a>. The Scientific Activist (blog). Retrieved 2007-06-06.</li>

<li id="cite_note-NYT8-3"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-NYT8_3-0">^{</a></span}> Revkin, Andrew (2006-02-08). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html">"A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA"</a>. The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-29.</li>

<li id="cite_note-4"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-4">^{</a></span}> Deutsch, George (2007-03-19). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20070709190042/http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070319103734-13686.pdf">"Testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070319103734-13686.pdf">the original</a> on 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2007-07-15.</li>

<li id="cite_note-NYT10-5">^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-NYT10_5-0">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deutsch#cite_ref-NYT10_5-1">b</a> Revkin, Andrew (2006-02-10). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3DF153EF933A25751C0A9609C8B63">"Ex-Press Aide for NASA Offers Defense"</a>. The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-06-06.</li>

</ol>

</div>

<h2>External links</h2>

<ul>

<li>George Deutsch's testimony before Rep. Waxman's Government Oversight Committee, alongside James Hansen's, can be seen on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-SPAN" title="C-SPAN">C-SPAN</a> video at "rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/energy/energy031907_climate.rm" by cutting and pasting what is between the quotes into your browser's address bar.</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/science/earth/29climate.html?ex=1296190800&en=51c46d7689bee520&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss">Climate expert says NASA tried to silence him</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times" title="New York Times" class="mw-redirect">New York Times</a>, January 29, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/science/10nasa.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">Ex-Press Aide for NASA Offers Defense</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times" title="New York Times" class="mw-redirect">New York Times</a>, February 10, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/29/healthscience/web.0129nasafull.php">Squelching effort afoot, climate scientist claims</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Herald_Tribune" title="International Herald Tribune">International Herald Tribune</a>, January 29, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2006/02/george_deutsch.html">George Deutsch, Up and Coming PAO Politico</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nasawatch&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Nasawatch (page does not exist)">Nasawatch</a>, February 3, 2006, Keith Cowing[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot">dead link</a>]</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/science/04climate.html?ex=1296709200&en=485e8873aed34738&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss">NASA Chief Backs Agency Openness</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times" title="New York Times" class="mw-redirect">New York Times</a>, February 4, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/3635720.html">Gagged prophet - The Bush administration continues to ignore climate change while trying to silence government scientists</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Chronicle" title="Houston Chronicle">Houston Chronicle</a>, February 4, 2006</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060130/full/060130-11.html">Has NASA's press office gone too far? One scientist's complaint of censorship has put the spotlight on NASA</a>, news@nature.com, Tony Reichhardt (available only to "premium plus" subscribers)</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/ericmink/story/AD1705B83EA056FD86257108000D2F36?OpenDocument">"Trust me?" On what conceivable basis?</a>, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Eric Mink</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/breaking-news-george-deutsch-did-not.html">George Deutsch Did Not Graduate From Texas A & M University</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scientific_Activist" title="The Scientific Activist">The Scientific Activist</a>, February 6, 2006, Nick Anthis</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://digg.com/general_sciences/NASA_Political_Appointee_Only_Has_High_School_Diploma">NASA Political Appointee Only Has High School Diploma</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digg" title="Digg">Digg</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://scientificactivist.blogspot.com/2006/02/nasa-science-censor-resigns.html">NASA Science Censor Resigns</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scientific_Activist" title="The Scientific Activist">The Scientific Activist</a>, February 8, 2006, Nick Anthis</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08nasa.html?ex=1297054800&en=9770cf71c58cfd89&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss">A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times" title="New York Times" class="mw-redirect">New York Times</a>, February 8, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://nytimes.com/2006/02/10/science/10nasa.html?hp&ex=1139547600&en=28f8de061c9195f4&ei=5094&partner=homepage">NASA Aide Who Resigned Over Warming Offers Defense</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times" title="New York Times" class="mw-redirect">New York Times</a>, February 10, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin</li>

</ul>

</div>

<div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Categories" title="Help:Categories">Categories</a>:

<ul>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:George_W._Bush_administration_controversies" title="Category:George W. Bush administration controversies">George W. Bush administration controversies</a></li>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Intelligent_design_advocates" title="Category:Intelligent design advocates">Intelligent design advocates</a></li>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:NASA_personnel" title="Category:NASA personnel">NASA personnel</a></li>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Living_people" title="Category:Living people">Living people</a></li>

<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas_A%26M_University_alumni" title="Category:Texas A&M University alumni">Texas A&M University alumni</a></li>

</ul>

</div>

===

unrelated?

President Barack Obama’s nominee for energy secretary is drawing criticism for leading a study that minimized risks of natural gas while failing to disclose that some of its researchers had financial ties to the industry.

The nominee, Ernest Moniz, who now is the head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Energy Institute, came out with its report in 2011 that said the environmental risks of increased drilling and production “are challenging but manageable.”

One of the report’s co-authors had already agreed to take a position with Talisman Energy Inc. when the report was released.

Another researcher was on the board of Cheniere Energy Inc., which is building an export facility for liquefied natural gas.

“The public should have been informed that MIT’s natural gas study was written by representatives of the oil and gas industry,” said Kevin Connor, director of the Public Accountability Initiative, a research group in Buffalo, New York that is critical of the use of hydraulic fracturing for gas drilling and compiled the details of these industry ties. “Aren’t there academics there not on the payroll of gas companies?”

It’s unlikely this disclosure will harm Moniz’s chances of confirmation. Obama has also supported development of natural gas through fracturing, and the Energy Department doesn’t regulate the practice. That is left to the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department.

“The president has made clear that natural gas has a central role to play in our nation’s energy future,” Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, said in an e-mail. “Dr. Moniz’s work at MIT demonstrates his ability to work collaboratively with a wide spectrum of stakeholders on a broad range of energy issues.”

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee scheduled a hearing on his nomination for April 9.

Some environmental groups have criticized Moniz’s nomination because of his support for natural gas as a so-called bridge fuel from carbon-intensive coal to cleaner energy such as solar. Some local activists say tapping that gas using fracturing, in which water, sand and chemicals are shot underground, causes air and water contamination.

Moniz has said there are risks, and industry disclosure and government regulation can contain them. “Research and regulation, both state and Federal, are needed to minimize the environmental consequences,” the MIT researchers said in their report.

MIT’s Energy Institute discloses that it is sponsored by companies such as BP Plc, Saudi Aramco and Duke Energy Corp., as well as foundations. When it published its Future of Natural Gas report in 2011, it disclosed the groups and companies that funded that study, including the Clean Skies Foundation, which backs natural gas and has close ties to Chesapeake Energy Corp.

All of the MIT professors must file financial disclosure forms with the university, and research is done independently of funding, said Victoria Ekstrom, a spokeswoman for the Energy Institute.

Ralph Cavanagh, co-director of the energy and transportation program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group critical of fracturing, was a member of the advisory board for the study. He called it “well balanced” and a fair report. While Cavanagh has differences with some of the conclusions, the process “was very much in the spirit of peer review.”

“The highest goal of technical people like myself is: What’s true?” Daniel Cohn, a MIT professor who was part of the study, said in an interview. “And I feel that standard was met here.”

Connor’s group highlighted two main criticisms with the researchers involved in the study. First, Anthony Meggs, a visiting professor at MIT and co-chairman of the group, had already agreed to join Talisman, the Canadian gas company, when the study was released. Nonetheless, he presented the finding that the risks are “challenging but manageable” at the press conference for the report.

Meggs has since left Talisman, spokeswoman Phoebe Buckland said in an e-mail.

Second, John Deutch, an MIT chemistry professor and former CIA director, was a member of the board of Cheniere when the report was released. The report backed the export of LNG, which Cheniere is trying to do.

Deutch, who remains on Cheniere’s board, didn’t return an e-mail and telephone message asking for comment.

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