Comments on: NOAA and the Three Monkeys

By: Solomon’s “Divergence” Problem | Another Newyork Times

Solomon’s “Divergence” Problem | Another Newyork Times — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:39:52 +0000

[...] a few weeks later, NOAA responded to the FOI request (CA post here) in which they made the remarkable assertion that they held no documents responsive to the FOI [...]

By: Solomon’s “Divergence” Problem « Climate Audit

Solomon’s “Divergence” Problem « Climate Audit — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:49:58 +0000

[...] a few weeks later, NOAA responded to the FOI request (CA post here) in which they made the remarkable assertion that they held no documents responsive to the FOI [...]

By: SteveSadlov

SteveSadlov — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 18:16:19 +0000

RE: #77 – “No folks there is not bias or political motivation amoung some federal government scientists.”

And Interstate Highway bridges over the Mississippi River do not fall down. /s

By: Ed I

Ed I — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:42:42 +0000

While working on a project to collect data from a public user group the user group agreed to cooperate in data collection so long as we didn’t give it to the federal government until our project was over. Our research project, in cooperation with a major university, was indirectly federally funded. It turned out that our data became critical to managing an important natural resource albeit one the federal government’s scientists had decided didn’t need managing. After our project was over and with permission of the public from which we had collected the data we turn the data base over to the federal agency. Shortly, after doing so they sent us letters advising that they now “owned” the data and any distribution of the data could only be done with their permission. None of that was any shock to us by this point. What was a shock is that an outside party made FOI request for the data to the federal agency and the person that we knew had been in charge of receiving the data. The outside group was advised that the data didn’t exist within the federal system. Then the group was advised that while the federal agency might have the data, they couldn’t distributed it without our permission. It gets much worse before it was over. Let’s just say our agency had worked in cooperation with a major university and those in the university were told not to release the data subject to the possibility of changes in federal research funding.

No folks there is not bias or political motivation amoung some federal government scientists. Ha!

By: Steve McIntyre

Steve McIntyre — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:59:20 +0000

#75. I had correspondence with Susan Solomon and Martin Manning and all correspondence over a lengthy period was to their NOAA emails. All submissions and reviews were done by email. I doubt that they would have deleted their email correspondence or that they would have done so prior to my request.

By: JV

JV — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:43:43 +0000

Regarding NOAA and e-mail records of IPCC reviews, I expect that the reviewers were requested to review as individual academics, not as members of NOAA. So NOAA has little to do with their correspondence. But, you’re probably right, even then the FOIA would grant you access to their NOAA mail records. But then you are assuming that (1) the reviews were sent by email (and not by snail mail or through a website), (2) they used that specific email address for sending in their reviews, and (3) they haven’t deleted the files. If any of those three conditions is not met, there will be no email record in the public domain.

By: Nicholas Harding

Nicholas Harding — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 23:48:20 +0000

As to FOIA; look up my bio on my firm’s website and then call me about this FOIA problem. I would be happy to help!

By: Paul Linsay

Paul Linsay — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 01:38:09 +0000

Clue: Incopetence starts at the top!!!

10 points from Gryffindor for spelling! LOL!

By: Kristen Byrnes

Kristen Byrnes — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 01:12:33 +0000

Ahoy from Key West. Today on the way to town we happened to pass by the NOAA/NWS office in Key West. We took some
good pictures at the National Weather Service that I can’t wait to post when I get home. Clue: Incopetence starts at the top!!!

By: Anthony Watts

Anthony Watts — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:16:35 +0000

RE70, Steve I’m not inclined to launch massive FOI requests, nor broach the subject in some media interview yet, because NCDC has not yet had a chance to respond to my request. As a professional courtesy I’m going to give them time to do so, and see what they have to say. Besides it is a weekend approaching a holiday and I would imagine many key people are taking vacation or extended holiday right about now.

In the 24/7 blog world, our ideas and intents move at near electronic speed, but government is much more glacial. Patience is required, and having worked in government myself I know that acceleration pressure usually doesn’t accomplish much.
The issue may very well resolve itself and we can all move forward.