As Reg•Watch blogged yesterday, a House committee held a hearing to investigate the Bush administration's manipulation of government climate science. The hearing was the second by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee to examine political interference in climate science. Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) called the first hearing after the White House Council on Environmental Quality's refused to turn over documents the committee had requested. In his opening remarks, Waxman said CEQ has turned over eight boxes but has not yet fulfilled the months old request. Still, the evidence the committee has seen "suggests there may have been a concerted effort directed by the White House to mislead the public about the dangers of global climate change." The testimony of Philip Cooney was nothing to write home about. Cooney was CEQ chief of staff (in between stints at the American Petroleum Institute and Exxon-Mobil) until 2005. He resigned after it was discovered he had altered climate science documents to plant seeds of doubt. Not surprisingly, Cooney claimed his actions were completely justified and cited a National Academies of Science report as his basis. The committee quickly shot holes through his defense. Waxman pressed Cooney on a verbatim quote from the NAS report he had completely removed. The sentence indicated the breadth and severity of climate change. Read more from The New York Times

The Environmental Forum, a bimonthly publication of the Environmental Law Institute, has published ">six opinions pieces on President Bush's changes to the regulatory process. The magazine features three opinions in favor of the changes and three opposed, including a piece by OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass. Of particular concern is the opinion of John G. Knepper, Deputy General Counsel of OMB. One new amendment requires agency Regulatory Policy Officers (RPO) be presidential appointees. Knepper argues this will make those officials more accountable to Congress and the public. But the Executive Order does not require the Senate to approve the RPO. Knepper, presumably involved in the drafting of the changes, should be more forthright in his argument. In opposition, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) reinforced the common conclusion that the White House — in the face of an opposition Congress — is attempting in its last two years to leave an anti-regulatory legacy. Waxman articulates the underhanded Bush tactic with a great simile: "Like a retreating army that mines the road behind it, the Bush administration is erecting new barriers to prevent commonsense safeguards from advancing in the next administration."

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Regulatory policy articles this time: Bush Continues Anti-Regulatory Efforts with Industry Nominee to CPSC Scientific Consultant Sparks Controversy over Conflicts of Interest In Congress, No Shortage of Fuel Economy Proposals