The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, released a statement this week expressing concerns about shifting government attitudes toward scientific communication.
According to Glenn Ruskin, the director of external affairs and communications at ACS, the decision to go public with a stance on the issue arose after a series of recent policy shifts at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Reuters and other news outlets reported this week that employees at the EPA have been issued a “gag order” from the White House and were told not to speak to the press. Reports have also surfaced that the EPA was instructed to remove the climate change page from its website. (Although the Trump Administration might be backpedaling from that request now, and the agency’s climate change page is currently active.)
Most recently, the White House announced that the scientific studies and data published by scientists at the EPA could be subject to monitoring by political appointees.
In response to the series of announcements, ACS said it is “monitoring, with concern, reports stating that the Trump administration is changing scientific communication policy and grant procedures.”
ACS is a nonprofit charted by the U.S. Congress (but funded by member dues and subscriptions to journals and chemical information services) that publishes peer-reviewed scientific research, advocates for chemistry and provides various programs that support the chemistry world.
While the ACS’s statement doesn’t get into policy specifics, Ruskin said the organization is worried about potential budget issues that could be brewing for the EPA, USDA and other agencies ACS frequently works with.
“We are focused on scientific integrity and the ability of the scientific community to operate unfettered, and that’s why we wanted to express our concern in a public way,” Ruskin says.
Despite concerns from the scientific community, Ruskin says he has been encouraged by recent meetings on Capitol Hill where lawmakers seem generally supportive of continued investments in science.
“People understand that investing in scientific research for future innovators is very important,” Ruskin says. “Scientific enterprise is really the catalyst for U.S. innovation and infrastructure, it helps create jobs and it drives economic growth.”
