The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s daylong Integrity in Science Conference in Washington, DC, July 11, will forge an agenda for independent regulatory science and protecting public sector scientists from political meddling and corporate influence. Jim Hansen of NASA will speak on the “Threat to the Planet: The Dark and Bright Sides of Global Warming.” CSW Director Rick Piltz will participate in a panel on Government Science and the Climate Crisis.

The Government Accountability Project and GAP’s Climate Science Watch program are among the co-sponsors of this conference.

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Fourth National
INTEGRITY IN SCIENCE CONFERENCE

REJUVENATING PUBLIC SECTOR SCIENCE

July 11, 2008
9 am – 5:30 pm
Ronald Reagan International Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20004

The agenda for the conference includes, in part: :

9:10-9:40 a.m. Keynote Address:
Representative Brad Miller, Chairman, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, House Committee on Science and Technology

9:40-11:00 a.m. Plenary I:
Beyond the Phony “Debate”: Government Science and the Climate Crisis

Panelists will discuss the role of government science in addressing the climate crisis now that the debate over the reality of the crisis has largely been discredited. Speakers will also address unresolved questions in climate science, and the urgency of government-funded science to promote alternative energy sources in light of the national security concerns and the Peak Oil crisis.

Moderator: Sheldon Rampton, Research Director, Center for Media and Democracy

Panelists:
• Rick Piltz, Director, Climate Science Watch
• Anthony J. Broccoli, Director, Center for Environmental Prediction, Rutgers University
• Herman Franssen, President, International Energy Associates
• Ken Zweibel, former Manager of the Thin Film PV Partnership Program, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Gal Luft, Executive Director, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security

11:15-12:30 p.m. Concurrent Breakout Sessions

B. Protecting Public Sector Scientists

Panelists will explore the adequacy of existing federal whistleblower protection regulations, and what can be done to improve them.

Moderator: Paul Thacker, Investigator, Senate Finance Committee.

Panelists:
• Adam Finkel, Executive Director, Penn Program on Regulation, University of Pennsylvania Law School, former Administrator, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• Tom Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project
• Francesca Grifo, Director, Scientific Integrity Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
• William Hirzy, Executive Vice-President, National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 280, EPA Headquarters
• Stuart Gerson, former head of Civil Division, U.S. Dept. of Justice

12:30-2:00 p.m. Lunch and speaker

Dr. James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, on the “Threat to the Planet: The Dark and Bright Sides of Global Warming.”