McCain: Bush Admin Breaks Laws to Hide Global Warming Data

“They’re simply not complying with the law. It’s incredible.”

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) raised eyebrows yesterday with that comment regarding the Bush administration, made before a crowd of several hundred at a Washington, D.C. event.

At issue is a report on climate change that Congress requires every four years. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for producing the document, last filed a report in 2000. A new report — the first to be filed by the Bush administration — was due in November 2004, but to date the agency has not done so.

“When you get to that degree of obfuscation, then you get a little depressed,” McCain said, according to several attendees. McCain’s comments were also reported by the trade daily Environment and Energy.

McCain has rapped the administration before over the long-overdue report.

At a June 2005 hearing, McCain grilled Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Bush’s appointed chief of NOAA, over a GAO report chastising his agency for failing to deliver their findings on time.

“Basically, they say you’re not complying with the law,” McCain told Lautenbacher.

“Yes, sir,” the NOAA chief responded.

“Are you complying with the law?” McCain asked.

“I believe that we are complying with the law, yes sir,” Lautenbacher replied.

“You know,” McCain said a few moments later, “you are really one of the more astonishing witnesses that I have [faced] — in the 19 years I’ve been a member of this [Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation] Committee.”

Lautenberger explained that his staff was working on “pieces” of the report, and conceded the November 2004 deadline had been a “difficult requirement to meet.”

McCain isn’t alone in wanting the study. On Tuesday, a trio of environmental groups announced they are suing NOAA to release the document.

Update: An earlier version of this post stated that the Clean Air Act of 1990 requires a climate change report to be filed every 10 years; in fact, the law requires a report every four. The post has been amended to reflect this.