Abandoning Science Advice

The document presents a series of tables detailing the activity and composition of science advisory committees across six federal agencies (CDC, DOI, DOE, DOC, EPA, and FDA) from 1997 to 2017. It tracks the number of meetings held and the number of members for each committee, highlighting instances where committees failed to meet their charter requirements. Additionally, it lists the appointment status of 83 key science and technology positions under the Trump administration as of January 15, 2018, noting numerous vacancies in roles requiring Senate confirmation.

• The document tracks the meeting frequency of science advisory committees across six federal agencies from 1997 to 2017, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Interior, Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency, and Food and Drug Administration.
• Data for the Department of Interior's Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science shows it held 1 meeting in 2014, 3 in 2015, 2 in 2016, and 1 in 2017, with membership dropping from 25 in 2014 to null in 2017.
• The Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee saw its membership drop to 0 in 2017, compared to 8 members in 2016 and 7 members in the years 2004 through 2015.
• As of January 15, 2018, many of the 83 key science and technology positions designated by the National Academy of Sciences remained unfilled under the Trump administration, particularly those requiring Senate confirmation.
• Specific vacancies in key science roles as of January 2018 included the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Director of the US Geological Survey, and the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
• The report identifies a significant number of unfilled positions on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), estimated at 20 based on the Obama administration's iteration.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Abandoning Science Advice. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-appendix-b-detailed-results.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Abandoning Science Advice. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-appendix-b-detailed-results.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Abandoning Science Advice |date=January 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-appendix-b-detailed-results.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018abandoning, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Abandoning Science Advice}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/01/abandoning-science-advice-appendix-b-detailed-results.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }