One of the scientific groups subpoenaed by House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith sent more than 1,300 documents it says would satisfy his inquiry but said it would not comply with his subpoena.
The Union of Concerned Scientists sent a letter to the Texas Republican on Thursday stating that all he needed to know about their work with other advocacy groups on climate change was already public. The group maintains that the First Amendment protects its activities.
“The First Amendment unambiguously fosters and protects UCS’s ability to inform and petition government officials and to work with other advocacy organization (sic) to seek governmental action related to climate change,” the letter from the group’s attorney stated.
The group is one of eight scientific organizations subpoenaed by Smith in his investigation into fraud probes being done by the New York and Massachusetts attorneys general of Exxon Mobil. The attorneys general want to know if the oil giant defrauded its investors by not making its knowledge of climate change being caused by fossil fuels known earlier.
The attorneys general have refused to comply with the subpoenas, as have the scientific groups.
Smith wants documents and communications between the attorneys general and science groups because he believes they are working to stymie the political views of Exxon Mobil and to suffocate scientific research, which in this case would work toward proving climate change is not happening or not caused by mankind.
The letter from the scientists group’s attorney argues that Smith is not actually asking for documents or communications that would be under his purview, which is overseeing how the federal government’s research dollars are used. The group argues Smith wants communications and documents related to how it communicates with the attorneys general.
“It does not request documents relating to climate change scientists themselves (other than those in UCS), which would show the effects, or output, of these investigations, investigations that were not conducted by UCE, but by the attorneys general,” the letter says.
