Posted on 05/03/2010 11:58:43 AM PDT by neverdem
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has demanded that the University of Virginia turn over documents related to a former UVa climatology professor at the center of the so-called climategate scandal.
Cuccinelli, a Republican from Fairfax County, is challenging in court the Environmental Protection Agencys authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions as a contributor to climate change.
On April 23, Cuccinelli sent a civil investigative demand to UVa seeking documents related to the work of Michael Mann, a researcher who worked at UVa between 1999 and 2005 and is now at Penn State.
As first reported by the Hook, Cuccinelli is looking for information related to Manns receipt of $484,875 in state-funded grants for climate-change research during his time at UVa.
Mann did not immediately return a request for comment.
Mann is a foremost expert in climate-change science, best known for his widely cited - and controversial - hockey stick graphs that show temperatures rising sharply in recent years.
Some of Manns correspondence was among the hacked e-mails last November at the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in England. Climate-change skeptics assert that some of the e-mails indicate that researchers colluded to manipulate data and destroy records.
An investigation by Penn State into the allegations cleared Mann of wrongdoing in February.
Cuccinellis office declined to comment on its new inquiry into Manns work while at UVa.
The attorney generals office can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of any pending case or investigation, said Brian Gottstein, director of communications for the attorney generals office.
UVa spokeswoman Carol Wood said the university will comply with Cuccinellis request, as dictated by law.
The university has received the CID from the states attorney general regarding Michael Manns work. Because of the scope of the request for information it will take some time for us to review it and decide how best to proceed with gathering information. The university has a legal obligation to answer this request and it is our intention to respond to the extent required by law.
Environmentalists were critical of Cuccinellis moves against climate-change science.
This is fiscally irresponsible, said Antigone Ambrose, conservation program coordinator for the Virginia Sierra Club. Were making cuts [in Virginia] left and right to everything. Sen. [Donald] McEachin has estimated that the attorney generals lawsuit will cost Virginia taxpayers between $250,000 and $500,000 if it goes all the way to the Supreme Court. Thats money that we simply dont have.
Ambrose added that two independent investigative inquiries have cleared the British researchers at East Anglia and their research partners of any malfeasance.
The have been exonerated, she said.
Cuccinellis actions, she said, are purely political.
Cuccinelli has said that he is challenging the EPAs ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions because he believes that such regulations would cause energy prices to rise and would lead to job losses in Virginia.
The EPAs authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses came about after a 2007 Supreme Court ruling found that greenhouse gasses are pollutants.
McNeill is a staff writer for the Daily Progress in Charlottesville.
“McNeill is a staff writer for the Daily Progress in Charlottesville”.
...the “Daily F’n Progress”?!
I don’t have to answer to you: I’m a big rich lib with powerful lib friends.
-Mann’s response
I love this, some guy with balls and brains. Says the emperor has no clothes.
These climate change GORONS are frauds, like that “Gentlemen’s F” he got in science from Harvard, a tainted U.
Very simply if you don’t like the climate it will change. Common sense says that’s weather.
Global Warming is a religion not a science.
This is fiscally irresponsible, said Antigone Ambrose, conservation program coordinator for the Virginia Sierra Club. Were making cuts [in Virginia] left and right to everything. Sen. [Donald] McEachin has estimated that the attorney generals lawsuit will cost Virginia taxpayers between $250,000 and $500,000 if it goes all the way to the Supreme Court. Thats money that we simply dont have.
The if defendents are so concerned about the cost they could simply plead guilty or no contest and comply with all of the SA’s requests. That would save us a bundle!
Bookmark
That was a “Gentleman’s D” not F, obviously he couldn’t find his butt with both hands or he would have been given a C.
It is my opinion that these people took taxpayer money and were perpetrating a fraud to get more government money based on that fraud. The fraud was “global warming” when the earth has been cooling for 10 years and everyone now agrees with that.
Go Ken, Go!!!!!
A ruling by Lawyers finds that the science behind greenhouse gasses being pollutants is 'credible' is incredible! With that one ruling, the Supremes could potentially break the bank! literally. So 'Hide the Decline' Mann poisoned the atmosphere in Virginia 'til 2005....says a lot! Virginia's gain (in '05) is Penn State's loss! Penn State has lost all credibility since backing that fraud! They shoulda spit him out like so much tobacco juice!
I didnt know that was possible! ; )
Unless of course the material no longer exists.
Steve McIntyre at Climate Audit—who has debunked the Hockey Stick and other frauds—doesn’t like this approach to going after Mann:
http://climateaudit.org/2010/05/03/the-virginia-statute/
all the evidence being sought is long gone from UVa
He is barking up a downed tree
Thanks for the link.
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