Trump transition team for Energy Department seeks names of employees involved in climate meetings

[MBS]

Source: Washington Post

The Trump transition team has issued a list of 74 questions for the Energy Department, asking agency officials to identify which department employees and contractors have worked on forging an international climate pact as well as domestic efforts to cut the nations carbon output. The questionnaire requests a list of those individuals who have taken part in international climate talks over the past five years and which programs within DOE are essential to meeting the goals of President Obamas Climate Action Plan.

Trump and his team have vowed to dismantle specific aspects of Obamas climate policies. The questionnaire, which one Energy Department official described as unusually intrusive and a matter for departmental lawyers, has raised concern that the Trump transition team was trying to figure out how to target the people, including civil servants, who have helped implement policies under Obama.

Thousands of scientists have signed petitions calling on the president-elect and his team to respect scientific integrity and refrain from singling out individual researchers whose work might conflict with the new administrations policy goals. This potential clash could prompt a major schism within the federal government, with many career officials waging a battle against incoming political appointees.

While there have been many instances of political appointees and career scientists clashing in various administrations, what appears to be novel here is the request for the names of so many individual scientists, and that it comes during the transition period, before the Trump administration has even taken power. This may be a signal of even more intense politicization after the inauguration.




Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/09/trump-transition-team-for-energy-department-seeks-names-of-employees-involved-in-climate-meetings/?utm_term=.9839764c087e&wpisrc=nl_evening&wpmm=1

---

[Angry Dragon]

1. I believe Trump is just an Evil 2 year old

[Hekate]

25. That's how I've been describing him to my husband. Imagine a 20 foot tall 2 y.o.

Very very dangerous.

[Dave Starsky]

73. He's like that evil kid in that Twilight Zone episode.

The one that wished people he didn't like into the cornfield.

[DemoTex]

2. I guess witch-hunting season is officially open.

Wear orange blaze.

[LongTomH]

3. Now it begins!!!! Welcome to Dystopia!!!!

[pangaia]

15. Begins?

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Ideological Purity Test

is not the way to heal the election fracture

This is very evil, te civil service system relies on bipartisanship and
consensus building, perhaps more so that Congress

Nothing is safe, it will all be stolen from us

[MBS]

7. nor is it the way to do science.

The kind of science that solve climate change issues, devised innovative energy methods, and more.
Every single scientist - especially those, of course, in the federal labs, but also anyone with federal grant funding - should be very, very, worried about the information in this article.

And everyone should be worried about what is in store for our country. (I know that I am speaking to the choir here).

This is really, really serious.

[0rganism]

12. i doubt very much our new overlords give any shits about healing national divides or science

OTOH, they are likely to be quite interested in modifying the tax and regulatory systems to net them and their donor buddies maximum payouts over the next 80 years.

and thanks to about 80000 suckers in the rust belt, their word will be absolute as far as the federal gov't goes.

we're not getting out of this one unscathed or even "mostly okay". these guys aren't going to stealth it up like W, pretending to make nice in the name of national unity while making out like bandits -- that's so 2001. now they're going to tear it down and put up an edifice of Trump's making, architected by military industrialists, resource extraction industrialists, Goldman-Sachs and the religious right.

this election will have consequences. brutal consequences.

[pangaia]

16. In that case......

Get out and contact your reps and tell them to fight against every single nominee il duce puts up for his cabinet.

Write letters to editors.
Contact broadcast media.
Join groups fighting the coup.
Contribute $$ if you can.
Post on social media.
Join protests, marches, strikes, boycotts.
any other type of civil disobedience. .
PROTEST any way possible...

Anything else you might think of...

[MBS]

19. THANK YOU

We need to employ every one of these strategies.

Resist!

[greymattermom]

41. Unfortunately

my representative is one of the nominees. Tom Price

[pangaia]

53. UGGGG.

Mine is Chris Collins.. Don't even bother to look HIM up...

[bucolic_frolic]

51. No good will come of anything Trump does

but it will take too long for the public to figure out that its been had.

No minimum wage hikes, no $15. Millennials might be most impacted
and will likely be unmotivated.

I still see a market crash, inflation, rising interest rates. Hillary's poll
numbers were too good to be true? So is this Washington stalemate.
People thought things were fine? It's all going to change.

[pangaia]

56. So if we do what we can to INFORM what public we can reach, that is something.

I barely have the patience when I run into a rtrumpista.. I just lose it.. So better for me to do more 'group stuff rather than one on one.. but everybody is different..

[Xipe Totec]

46. The Zampolits - Political Commissars, are already making the rounds.

[riversedge]

5. This is so so sooooooooooooo WRONG. These are Government workers and are not politial

pawns for Trump to cut down and harass!!

[Bear Creek]

34. Want to bet

Extremely so, they acted up a little when Bush got into office and did not try to hide it much. This time they are at before trump even gets into office.

[keithbvadu2]

6. Yet such attention to detail is not in their sights for intell/security briefings

Yet such attention to detail is not in their sights for intell/security briefings.

It shows what they care about.

The same incompetence by Dubya as he led America into 9-11.

[MBS]

28. Their priorities are revealing, aren't they? n/t

[Towlie]

8. "Forging"? Uh oh... Trump supporters: "Yeah, let's weed out those rotten forgers!"

[lunatica]

9. The stench of fascism and persecution is spreading over the Nation

It may not be a done deal, but the intent is clear to see.

[MBS]

14. you are right.

[pangaia]

18. it IS a done deal..

SO---

Get out and contact your reps and tell them to fight against every single nominee il duce puts up for his cabinet.

Write letters to editors.
Contact broadcast media.
Join groups fighting the coup.
Contribute $$ if you can.
Post on social media.
Join protests, marches, strikes, boycotts.
any other type of civil disobedience. .
PROTEST any way possible...

Anything else you can think of...

[Amimnoch]

42. I anticipate that working for maybe one confirmation.

Mitch has already said they are ready to go full nuclear option in the Senate.

My only hope at this point is that the election process isn't so wrecked by 2018 and 2020 that it's still possible to vote them out of office, and start repairing what's left of us.

We are about to be steamrolled by them.

[pangaia]

45. You are probably right.

But why not even TRY now?

By then it might be too late...


For example, why did Obama wait 4 weeks to 'request' or 'order", i don't know which, an investigation into the russian hacking job?

[PSPS]

52. Don't count on 2018 or 2020. I'm afraid the game is over now as far as using traditional means.

A Trump DOJ will stop enforcing what voting rights laws there are left, so gerrymandering and voter suppression will take off now, essentially giving the House to the GOP in perpetuity.

[bdamomma]

72. It is a coup

Also I think when calling or e mailing our Senators say it for what it is it is full blown FASCISM.

[LuckyLib]

74. Alot of very good people are going to leave government. They simply will not

stay in a criminal administration where science is denied and craziness reigns. No doubt conversation around many water-coolers these days in DC involves "Where are you looking?" and "Any plans on the horizon?" Time for folks to get their resumes revised in preparation for another career.

[MBS]

77. Yes, unfortunately.

[MBS]

10. another excerpt

(The !!!!! is my editorial comment)

.

. . In many cases, the inquiries meshed with the priorities of conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation, which held a meeting on energy and environment issues in Washington on Thursday, as well as priorities outlined in a recent fundraising pitch sent by the American Energy Alliance (AEA), a wing of the Institute for Energy Research. Thomas Pyle, who heads AEA, leads Trump’s Energy Department transition team. In a recent fundraising pitch, Pyle wrote supporters, “After eight years of the Obama administration’s (!!!!!) divisive energy and environmental policies, the American people have voted for a change — a big change. We expect the Trump administration will adopt pro-energy and pro-market policies — much different than the Obama administration’s top-down government approach.”
. . .

“My guess is that they’re trying to undermine the credibility of the science that DOE has produced, particularly in the field of climate science,” said Rob Jackson, a Stanford climate and energy researcher, in response to the question about the Integrated Assessment Models.
The questionnaire also appeared to take aim at the national laboratories, which operate with a high degree of independence but which are part of the Energy Department. The questionnaire asked for a list of the top 20 salaried employees of the labs, the labs’ peer-reviewed publications over the past three years, a list of their professional society memberships, affiliations, and the websites they maintain or contribute to “during work hours.” Researchers at national labs focus on a range of issues, including renewable energy development and climate analysis.

[dhol82]

24. This is a witch hunt.

[MBS]

27. You bet.

And it promises to set American science back decades.
And our attempts to move forward on alternative energy, and planning for and responses to climate change .
(Oh, yeah, and our democracy, too.)

This is making America great again??
This is a travesty. And a tragedy. And an abomination.


And he lost by more more than 2.6 million votes.

[dhol82]

31. Damn, this is sooooo going back to McCarthy and the John Birch Society

I thought we were so beyond that.
I grieve for my country.

[MBS]

33. Even worse.

Not just gunning for the artists and professors (McCarthy), or the UN or "communists" (John Birch Society).
Going after SCIENCE, which is supposed to be nonpolitical. Trying to destroy all environmental progress, and our protected federal lands, including the National Park System, which was originally OUR own invention. Going after EVERYONE and everything in our country that is - well - exceptional.

[dhol82]

43. I think that much of this comes from Bannon

For the life of, I cannot understand why he wants to destroy this country.

[MBS]

49. Plus the extra-rabid reps of the fossil fuel industry

That pollute the transition team and that have been mentioned by The Orange One to head up EPA, Energy, etc.

(See excerpt at #10, above.)

[dhol82]

60. This all getting so disturbing

I keep going back to my original statement:

We are fucked.

[MBS]

62. yup, that's it in a nutshell, alright.

[dhol82]

44. Wonder if part of this comes from Pence?

He is the evangelical freak.

This is so turning into a rat fuck.

[Wellstone ruled]

29. Can not imagine the

anxiety that is going through this folks. Most are just GAS minions trying to do their jobs. Hope their Union comes to the rescue.

[dhol82]

32. Will their union survive the Trumpistas?

[Wellstone ruled]

36. That will be a though one.

Right now the TSA workers Union is facing issues from certain Airlines wanted to Privatize the Airport Screeners(TSO's),and rehire them at a lower pay rate with zero benefits. Firm that has been mentioned is Securetas has been lobbying to take this private.

[dhol82]

59. Sounds like the Carrier deal

They would have stayed if the workforce would have agreed to $5/hr with no benefits.

Right.

[Wellstone ruled]

63. Yah right,

Hopefully don't have to flunk retirement again. But,there is reality and if it happens so be it. Been across the bargaining table many times,seen it heard it and been threaten many a time.

[MBS]

35. But then there are the scientists, too.

Many of them, especially in DOE (including the national labs) are doing EXCEPTIONAL work, work that promises to be leaders in alternative energy, solving climate change, etc..
Not to mention the important environmental monitoring of the EPA and US Forest Service and NOAA and other agencies.

And on the biomedical front:
And did you hear today that Trump's pick for FDA is a guy who is against any regulations on drug companies regarding product safety, effectiveness, etc?

It's EVERYTHING.

[Wellstone ruled]

37. Reagan's PATCO on Roid's.

Remember,thy can not strike,the GOP with Help from the Blue Dog Dems made that happen. Plus,if there is a Government shut down,all these people work without pay. Last time it was two weeks.

[drray23]

66. I work for a national lab.

I am a senior scientist (nuclear physicist) part of the lab leadership. No doubt I will be on that list they are making. However as of today, I have not seen or heard of this. If this does happen, it will destroy science in the country.

People like me or my colleagues have international connections. If Trump makes it impossible for us to work here we will simply move and setup shop abroad. That would be a very dumb move for the Trump admin to do. We won wwii because we attracted all the scientists fleeing europe and Hitler. These scientists formed the foundation of a strong us science program and we have since kept up with it regardless of who was the president. If Trump is trying to purge scientists, we will move elsewhere..

[drray23]

65. I probably will end up on this list.nt.

[dhol82]

11. What's next - a loyalty oath?

[pangaia]

20. You must have missed it.

[jimlup]

13. This is seriously troubling and reeks of

McCarthyism or worse.. We are in for a real shit trip aren't we?

[MBS]

17. Yes, troubling indeed.

Yup, shit trip ahead- and he hasn't even been inaugurated yet.

We need to be reminding these cretins in every way we can that they lost the popular vote and that they DO NOT HAVE A MANDATE.

[dhol82]

23. Sadly, they don't care.

[Crash2Parties]

21. "Are you now or have you ever been a member of a Climate Change research team"?

[logosoco]

22. Nice to know what their priorities are!

It's not as if the department of energy has any other pressing issues right now.

[Hekate]

26. Heil Trumpler

[yardwork]

30. But there's no difference between Trump and Hillary Clinton!

[truthisfreedom]

38. YOUR PAPERS PLEASE!

So it begins.

[hunter]

39. Mother Nature doesn't give a fuck what Trump thinks.

She'll probably take him while he's sitting on the toilet tweeting, and then she'll pound his pathetic little empire into the sand.

Such things are inevitable.

[MBS]

47. Mar el Lago is a sitting duck for sea-level rise.

It will be under water soon. Even sooner if he succeeds in blocking any attempts to slow and/or ameliorate climate change .

[leftyladyfrommo]

71. And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy

I hope the whole place drowns.

[lame54]

40. Trump will finally get to use his catch phrase...

"You're fired!"
Competence will not be tolerated in the Trump administration

[Sunlei]

48. Not individuals, climate change science is woven into every department in government.

[MBS]

54. EXACTLY.

But Dept of Energy is a particularly egregious case because - as this article documents - the "transition team" is, thus far, focused directly on DOE scientists. And because of the key role that DOE played in the Iran deal, which the Trump-bots seem so eager to dismantle . And because of the large number of DOE scientists doing cutting-edge work on Big Data (worried about data integrity, anyone?), climate change and alternative energy issues at the national labs, all of which are questioned by the Trumpites.

Also the prospect of DOE being headed by and oil and gas businessperson rather than a scientist (such as nuclear physicist Ernie Moniz), is, given the importance of deep understanding of nuclear energy for international security and more, and the complexities and importance of the DOE science portfolio, not to mention the urgency of environmental and national security problems that relate to these activities, downright terrifying. And insulting.

Scientists at FDA, USDA, NOAA, and possibly NIH are also

[TheHak]

50. The hope is jow shifting to China

Cant beleive i would ever say this but this is a gigantic opportunity cost.

In 4 years the us will be nowhere. The exceptional opportunity of new energy will be taken by other countries. China which has more engineers now than the us and europe combined has got it.

Not only will they win a morale victory but they will crush the Us economically.

[MBS]

57. Exactly.

That's the tragedy of it. We will lose on the international stage: economically, politically, strategically.

"Make America great again?" More like the opposite.

[Freethinker65]

55. Every employee for the Department of Energy should sign onto the list

Stupid waste of time, money, and "energy".

[certainot]

58. if climate change is a national security issue doesn't that make the trump admin a

security threat?

[MBS]

61. I think they are already.

You're right about the environmental connection to international security. (Something that the Obama administration, including even DOD,as well as the farsighted John Kerry, who has done so much to make that connection in everything he has done as SoS, has understood, and acted on, on many fronts, from Day One.)
But then there's the added "bonus" of that "winning" appointment of the mentally unstable (and rabidly anti-Muslim and conspiracy-theorist-tweeter) Michael Flynn- plus Carter Page now in Moscow, reportedly doing back-channel deals for Trump, and whatever Manafort is still up to. .

This is the first time in my life when the people poised to move into the White House are more of a threat to national security, IMO (and, it should be said, the voters who put this crew into office) than any external threat I can think of. Trump and his crew are, quite literally, putting our country in danger.

[lancelyons]

64. This is scary that Trumps team is looking for people that perhaps disagree with them

its not real clear but it seems scary that Trumps team is looking for people that perhaps disagree with them in order to fire them or discredit them?

I cant think of another reason they would search for the top salaried individuals that where onboard with Climate science.

The positive aspect of all this is if he does as bad as we all think he will, then voters will vote him out and vote somebody else in.

Maybe they will see the GOP ways dont work for people but only work for companies and corporations.

[tom_kelly]

67. At what point will

the trumpsters wake up to what's going on? What will it take to wake them up? SS cuts? They don't care about the environment and science. They don't care about him raiding the coffers. They don't care about much more than their teevee lineup each night, whether or not their pizza gets delivered with cheezy crust, and how big of a carry mug they can fill up with coffee or soda at the convenience store. We know we're all f'd but what will it take for them to realize?

So far, the media has been so enabling of him and I don't see that changing regardless of what he does. I have no idea if The Fox News would even report the truth of the effects if/when they completely gut SS and Medicare. If The Fox News told them that it was in their best interest they'd just believe what they're told; and order another pizza.

I find myself thinking about these things too much and in order to protect my own sanity I sometimes border on complete information shut-down. I need to find a like-minded group to help me process all this shit and funnel my energy toward making a positive difference. God, I feel like shit. Okay, session is over. Thank you for listening.

[Little Tich]

68. Trumpland is the new Russia. Scary. n/t

[mahatmakanejeeves]

69. I'm adding links to the authors of this article

Steven Mufson covers energy and other financial matters. Since joining The Post, he has covered the White House, China, economic policy and diplomacy. Follow @StevenMufson.
Follow @StevenMufson
http://twitter.com/StevenMufson

Juliet Eilperin is The Washington Post's White House bureau chief, covering domestic and foreign policy as well as the culture of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. She is the author of two books—one on sharks, and another on Congress, not to be confused with each other—and has worked for the Post since 1998.
Follow @eilperin
http://twitter.com/eilperin

[MBS]

70. Thanks!

I love Juliet Eilperin's comments about her books.

More seriously, this information does make it clear that these two reporters are very well qualified to report on this story.
WaPo has been doing a good job of investigative reporting on Trump. May they please keep it up - we really need in-depth journalism more than ever! Reassuring that WaPo is blessed with a great editor, who I hope and trust will continue to support this kind of work.

[William Seger]

75. Looks like he's going after the Energy Information Administration, too

The EIA is an independent agency that collects and analysis data about energy production. The questions to the Department of Energy include 15 questions about the EIA, some oddly specific down to report details. Reading between the lines, the questions seem to indicate that DJT & Co think the EIA is biased against the fossil fuel industry, so I think we can expect purges there, too:

6. EIA is an independent agency in DOE. How has EIA ensured its independence in your data and analysis over the past 8 years? In what instances do you think EIA's independence was most challenged?

7. Part of EIA's charter is to do analyses based on Congressional and Departmental requests. Has EIA denied or not responded to any of these requests over the last ten years?

8. EIA customarily has or had set dates for completions of studies and reports. In general, have those dates been adhered to?

9. In the Annual Energy Outlook 2016, EIA assumed that the Clean Power Plan should be in the reference case despite the fact that the reference case is based on existing laws and regulations. Why did EIA make that assumption, which seems to be atypical of past forecasts?

10. EIA's assessments of levelized costs for renewable technologies do not contain back-up costs for the fossil fuel technologies that are brought on-line to replace the generation when those technologies are down. Is this is a correct representation of the true levelized costs?

11. Has EIA done analysis that shows that additional back-up generation is not needed? How does EIA's analysis compare with other analyses on this issue?

12. Renewable and solar technologies are expected to need additional transmission costs above what fossil technologies need. How has EIA represented this in the AEO forecasts? What is the magnitude of those transmission costs?

13. There are studies that show that your high resource and technology case for oil and gas represents the shale gas and oil renaissance far better than your reference case. Why has EIA not put those assumptions in your reference case?

14. Can you describe the number of personnel hired into management positions at EIA from outside EIA and compare it to the number of personnel hired into management positions at EIA who were currently serving at EIA?

15. How does EIA ensure quality in its data and analyses?

16. Where does EIA think most improvement is needed in its data and analyses?

17. We note that EIA added distributed solar estimations to your electricity data reports. Those numbers are not part of your supply/demand balance on a Btu basis. Why has that not been updated accordingly?

18. How many vacancies does EIA have in management and staff positions? What plans, if any, does EIA have to fill those positions before January 20?

19. Is the EIA budget sufficient to ensure quality in data and analyses? If not, where does it fall short?

20. Does EIA have cost comparisons of sources of electricity generation at the national level?

[MBS]

76. Wow.