Starting with the observation that conflicts over environmental policy nearly always have a scientific dimension, this Article addresses the intertwined challenges of ensuring scientific integrity and ensuring political integrity—goals at once essential to accurate and useful policy choices, and difficult to achieve in a world of hotly contested environmental issues.  Professor Doremus explains that scientific integrity provides “a clear view of what the available evidence does and does not reveal about the environmental impacts of the status quo and available alternatives,” and that political integrity is necessary for “adherence to societal values and trade-offs arrived at through the democratic process.”

Several recent controversies have involved failures of scientific integrity, such as the alleged ethical violations of Bush appointee Julie MacDonald and the interference of low-level appointees lacking scientific credentials with the ability of agency research scientists to communicate directly with Congress and the public.  Doremus points out how these incidents reveal the extent to which scientific and political roles are intertwined in environmental policy.  The lack of trust between the public, scientists, and political appointees and the lack of effective oversight mechanisms contribute to a kind of “race to the bottom” with respect to both scientific and political integrity.

Doremus argues that the problem of political integrity must be addressed first because it is the more serious issue; it is more susceptible to a prescriptive approach; and it is an essential predicate to providing incentives for scientific integrity.  She recommends enforcing a stronger separation of roles between career scientists and political appointees by strengthening whistle-blower protections; limiting the role of political appointees; and reinvigorating the culture of public service.  Scientific integrity can be addressed through better education for agency scientists regarding their roles in the process and their use of appropriate channels for responding to improper political pressure.