Council on Environmental Quality Edits EPA Op-Ed

In July 2002, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) edited an op-ed by EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to exaggerate the negative economic impacts of the Kyoto Protocol. Despite objections from EPA Associate Administrator Tom Gibson, who noted that the claim of 5 million job losses was based on an unrealistic implementation scenario and represented the high end of a range, the CEQ insisted on the figure to remain compelling and consistent with presidential rhetoric. Although Whitman initially removed the statistic, the CEQ overruled her, and the final piece published in Time Magazine claimed that the protocol "would put millions of Americans out of work."

• In July 2002, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) edited an op-ed by EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to include an exaggerated claim that the Kyoto Protocol would cause 5 million Americans to lose their jobs.
• EPA Associate Administrator Tom Gibson objected to the 5 million job loss figure, stating it was based on an unrealistic implementation of the protocol and represented the high end of a reported range.
• Despite Administrator Whitman's attempt to remove the statistic, the CEQ overruled her to ensure adherence to White House climate policy, resulting in a published op-ed in Time Magazine stating that the Kyoto Protocol "would put millions of Americans out of work."

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2002). Council on Environmental Quality Edits EPA Op-Ed. https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/council-environmental-quality-edits-epa-op-ed

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Council on Environmental Quality Edits EPA Op-Ed. 2002. https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/council-environmental-quality-edits-epa-op-ed.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Council on Environmental Quality Edits EPA Op-Ed |date=17 February 2002 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/council-environmental-quality-edits-epa-op-ed |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2002council, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Council on Environmental Quality Edits EPA Op-Ed}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2002}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/council-environmental-quality-edits-epa-op-ed}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }