Download the full survey briefing here.
Summary
Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, working with the Union of Concerned Scientists and Iowa State University, sent a survey to 407 scientists working at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and 310 scientists at the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) – both agencies of the U.S. Department of the Interior dealing with offshore oil and gas extraction. We received 63 surveys from BOEM, and 32 surveys from BSEE, for a 15% and 10% response rate, respectively.
The survey questions addressed a number of issues related to the use of science in policy making and the views of scientists from inside the agencies. Several questions were open response questions. More information about the 2018 federal scientist survey can be found at www.ucsusa.org/2018survey, including the survey questions, information about other agencies surveyed, and past scientist surveys.
The survey results reveal that scientists working at BOEM and BSEE under the Trump administration feel a heightened pressure to stick to a script that panders to the oil and gas industry and undermines climate science and basic environmental protections. Key findings include pressure to downplay climate change, influence from the oil and gas industry, and concerns about environmental reviews and scientific integrity policies. Undermining federal science at BOEM and BSEE puts our communities, our coasts, and our climate at grave risk.
For Further Information
The 2018 federal scientist survey was conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists and further information about the full survey can be found at www.ucsusa.org/2018survey. This Survey Briefing regarding scientists at BOEM and BSEE was prepared by Greenpeace USA and Friends of the Earth, with assistance from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
For media inquires please contact Cassady Craighill ([email protected]). August 2018.
