On Tuesday, the House Government and Oversight Committee, captained by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), held an oversight hearing investigating the Bush administration's meddling in climate science. The hearing featured the release of a joint report by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Government Accountability Project. The good people over at Think Progress have summarized the report, in which about half of the scientists interviewed report some kind of interference. There are 435 instances of manipulation reported. Try to pick your favorite. Waxman was provoked into holding the hearing when the Bush administration repeatedly refused to allow Congress to review certain documents related to global climate change. At the hearing, Waxman announced he will be re-requesting those documents. Hopefully, with the issue gaining more media attention, the administration will not continue to misinform the public on global warming. The Bush Assault on "Global Warming" On a similar note, the Bush administration appears to be waging war on "global warming." No, not the environmental crisis, just the phrase. At the hearing, Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) revealed that Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte is prohibited from using the phrase "global warming." Read more on that here. In another effort, rumors are flying on the blogosphere that the White House website search function turns up only one result when users search for “global warming.” Keep your eye out for more on this lame attempt to censor legitimate science.

Almost two weeks ago, President Bush amended the federal regulatory process in an attempt to delay regulations and take power out of Congress's hands. Now, the mainstream media has picked up the scent. A front page story in today's New York Times and a column in today's Washington Post both cover the story.

The White House wants the Department of Transportation (DOT) to continue to regulate Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, according to the online environmental news source Greenwire (subscription). With the House of Representatives set to hold a hearing on fuel standards — and even Sen. Ted Stevens opening his mind — the Bush administration is clearly getting nervous that Congress may supersede Executive regulations. The White House wants DOT to continue to be a roadblock in the way of sensible fuel standards; and wants CAFE reform to sink in a regulatory quagmire. Jim Connaughton, the White House's chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, doesn't think Congress should serve its Constitutionally provided role of protecting the public: "We don't support Congress picking the numbers because Congress doesn't have the technical infrastructure to do the analysis necessary to do it in a way that will save lives and make sure we're preserving good jobs in America." The White House position is not surprising, considering recent changes to the federal rulemaking process that place corporate interests above the public interest. Congress should ignore the White House, and provide legislation for cleaner vehicles across the nation.

This afternoon, President Bush announced amendments to Executive Order 12866 on Regulatory Planning and Review. EO 12866, originally issued by President Clinton, places the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) squarely in the middle of agencies' rulemaking process. President Bush's amendments go even further in allowing the White House to force its own agenda on agencies. The most notable of the new amendments:

• Impose a market failure criterion where agencies had previously been able to regulate based upon identification of threats to public welfare.