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Science Advising Process in State of Crisis, Group Says
By Gwendolyn Bradley
The structures for providing effective science and technology advice to the president and Congress are in crisis, according to a report released in December by the Federation of American Scientists. At the same time, the report notes, the need for such advice is increasing as government makes rules and creates programs dealing with new medical technologies, advanced weapon systems, wireless communications, and other technical areas. Without access to good scientific information, the group says, decisions in these areas will depend on "unchallenged assertions by special interests and ideologues," leading to "costly mistakes."
The report, titled Flying Blind: The Rise, Fall, and Possible Resurrection of Science Policy Advice in the United States, provides several examples. A gasoline additive required by the 1990 Clean Air Act was later found to be a carcinogen that was polluting ground-water, a problem that could have been avoided, the report says, had Congress sought information far enough in advance to allow the additive to be studied by then-existing science advisory organizations, built impact studies into the legislation mandating the additive's use, and supported independent analysis of the additive's environmental effects, instead of relying on data supplied by industry and other private groups.
The report's recommendations include the establishment of a scientific advising organization within the Government Accountability Office, regular reviews of federal research and development expenditures, establishment of a science and technology council headed by a presidential appointee, and removal of various barriers to public access to scientific information and governmental records.
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