CEI wins FOIA tiff with NASA via judicial order

From AllGov.com with lots of spin (h/t to reader Dennis)

Judge Orders NASA to Release Climate Change-Related Documents

A climate change denial group once funded by oil giant ExxonMobil (2012 revenues: $453.123 billion) won a legal victory last week over NASA when a federal judge ordered the space agency to turn over more documents related to its 2007 revisions of global temperature data. Release of the information will have no effect on the climate change data that scientists are using to determine the extent of global warming that is occurring.

The controversy started in August 2007, when statistician Stephen McIntyre found an error in NASA’s temperature data sets that he said caused temperatures in the U.S. from the year 2000 onward to be overstated. After posting “his findings on his website ClimateAudit.org,” according to Judge Barbara Rothstein’s decision, McIntyre “emailed them to NASA climate scientists” at the Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS), which quickly “revised values in its temperature data set…[and] did not issue a press release announcing or explaining the corrections.”

Sensing a potential scandal, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) submitted three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to NASA, two in August 2007 and one in January 2008. After NASA released 2,500 pages of data in response, CEI filed a FOIA lawsuit in federal court in the District of Columbia in 2010.

Among the materials NASA withheld were two electronic directories referred to as the “Steve” and “alternate cleaning” directories, media inquiries about the data corrections, and two email accounts of Dr. Gavin Schmidt, a NASA scientist who teaches at Columbia University and contributes to a blog called RealClimate.org. Although CEI wanted all that and more, Judge Rothstein ordered NASA to release only the “Steve” directory and one of Dr. Schmidt’s email accounts, finding that the other materials either held no responsive documents or fell within a valid FOIA exemption.

Source: http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/judge-orders-nasa-to-release-climate-change-related-documents-131110?news=851618

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November 10, 2013 1:34 pm

What does the revenues of Exxon have to do with the article I wonder?

November 10, 2013 1:40 pm

I like the gratuitous association of CEI, the climate denial group with funding from ExxonMobile and making it almostnsound like they were getting $453 billion/year. I bet CEI doesn’t deny there is a climate.

Jquip
November 10, 2013 1:58 pm

Not a fan of this. Nor a fan of the idea that we need to go to court to get what should be publicly accessible in a functioning democracy of any sort. It’ll be interesting if anything curious shows up, and curious if anything interesting appears.

ttfn
November 10, 2013 2:00 pm

There has been no statistical warming since those FOIA requests were filed.

Jim Clarke
November 10, 2013 2:10 pm

Who or what is Allgov.com? Their ‘about us’ page doesn’t really say anything about them, just what they allegedly do. I was dizzy after reading the first paragraph. There was so much spin.
Still don’t get why these public servants believe they are justified in withholding information.

@njsnowfan
November 10, 2013 2:12 pm

Another Climategate? but this time it is 2.0 or is it 3.0 or 4.0 of 5.0,
Sad it takes big money to get the data that should not be tweaked out of NASA

November 10, 2013 2:23 pm

How about:
“won a legal victory last week over NASA (an organization better known for designing shuttles that blow up and making stuff up about climate change) …”

albertalad
November 10, 2013 2:28 pm

They can lie and ran all the want, and if it takes a court order to let those guys know they will be held responsible then I’m all for court orders every time. And I don’t care if its funded by the “alleged” oil companies – what is important is forcing these guys to look over their shoulder ever time they lie. About time in my book. They (the agw side) certainly have been playing by their own rules long enough.

Grant
November 10, 2013 2:36 pm

Where would we be without Mr. McIntyre and Mr. Watts? So thanks to both of them for their persistence and due diligence. Amazing individuals indeed.

Jimbo
November 10, 2013 2:41 pm

A climate change denial group once funded by oil giant ExxonMobil (2012 revenues: $453.123 billion)……

What do you call these then?

Climate Institute – Found 1 October 2013
[Washington, DC]
Donors
American Gas Foundation, BP, PG&E Corporation [gas & electricity], Shell
Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation
Source:http://www.climate.org/about/donors-partners.html
—–
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions – Found 1 October 2013
[Arlington, VA]
Strategic Partners: Entergy, Shell
Major Contributors: Duke Energy, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Source:http://www.c2es.org/about/strategic-partners
—–
Green Energy Futures – Found 1 October 2013
“Green Energy Futures is a project and a journey that seeks to share the stories of green energy pioneers who are doing incredible things just below the radar of the conventional media.” Gold Sponsors: TD, Shell
Source:http://www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/52-sun-country-highway
—–
World Resouces Institutue – Found 1 October 2013
2012 DONOR LISTINGS (Sept.1, 2012–May 1, 2013)
…..Shell…..
Source:http://www.wri.org/files/wri/WRI-2012-Donor-List.pdf
http://www.wri.org/climate/
—–
America’s WETLAND Foundation – Found 1 October 2013
“The America’s WETLAND Foundation is supported by a variety of organizations, foundations and corporations that want to elevate issues facing the Gulf Coast…We would like to especially thank our lead “World Sponsor,” Shell, for their early and generous support of the Foundation….”
Sustainability Sponsors: Chevron – ConocoPhillips Company [crude oil & natural gas]
National Sponsors: American Petroleum Institutue
Source:http://www.americaswetland.com/custompage.cfm?pageid=252
—–
Purdue Solar – April 15, 2013
Navitas Takes 1st at SEMA 2013
“Last week, Purdue Solar Racing took home first place in the Battery Electric division at the 2013 Shell Eco-marathon. The winning run reached an efficiency of 78.1 m/kWh (a miles per gallon equivalency of approximate 2,630MPGe)….”
Source:http://www.purduesolar.org/2013/04/navitas-takes-1st-at-sema-2013/
—–
Science Museum – Atmosphere – Found 1 October 2013
“We believe that working together with such a wide range of sectors is something that we’ll all need to be able to do in our climate-changing world.
The following organisations and individuals have helped to fund the atmosphere …exploring climate science gallery and the Climate Changing… programme: Principal Sponsors” Shell….
Source:http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/climatechanging/funders.aspx
—–
EcoLiving – Found 1 October 2013
“Your sustainable lifestyle begins here!”
2012 Sponsors:….Shell FuellingChange….
Source:http://ecolivingevents.ca/about/sponsors/
—–
Climate Research Unit (CRU)
“From the late 1970s through to the collapse of oil prices in the late 1980s, CRU received a series of contracts from BP to provide data and advice….we would like to acknowledge the support of the following funders….British Petroleum,…Shell,…Sultanate of Oman…”
Source: cru.uea.ac.uk/about-cru/history
—–
Exxon-Led Group Is Giving A Climate Grant to Stanford
Four big international companies, including the oil giant Exxon Mobil, said yesterday that they would give Stanford University $225 million over 10 years….In 2000, Ford and Exxon Mobil’s global rival, BP, gave $20 million to Princeton to start a similar climate and energy research program…”
Source: New York Times – 21 November 2002
—–
Sierra Club
“TIME has learned that between 2007 and 2010 the Sierra Club accepted over $25 million in donations from the gas industry, mostly from Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy—one of the biggest gas drilling companies in the U.S. and a firm heavily involved in fracking…”
Source: Time – 2 February 2012
—–
Nature Conservancy
“…The Conservancy also has given BP a seat on its International Leadership Council and has accepted nearly $10 million in cash and land contributions from BP and affiliated corporations over the years. “Oh, wow,” De Leon said when told of the depth of the relationship between the nonprofit group she loves and the company she hates. “That’s kind of disturbing.”……Conservation International has accepted $2 million in donations from BP over the years…”
Source: Washington Post – 25 May 2010
—–
Delhi Sustainable Development Summit
In 2003 and 2004 Rajendra Pachauri’s annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit was sponsored, among others, by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. and the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. In 2005 Shell gave money and in 2006 and 2007 BP gave money. The Rockefeller Foundation gave donations in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Source: dsds.teriin.org [See their About Us – Archives]
—–
UC Berkeley’s Climate Action Partnership
“The Cal Climate Action Partnership (CalCAP) is a collaboration of faculty, administration, staff, and students working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at UC Berkeley….”
Source: sustainability.berkeley.edu/calcap/
UC Berkeley – 1 February 2007
BP selects UC Berkeley to lead $500 million energy research consortium with partners Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, University of Illinois…”
Source: UK Berkely News

Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) project
Financial Support – Berkeley Earth is now an independent non profit. Berkeley Earth received a total of $623,087 in financial support for the first phase of work,…..First Phase
…….Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research (created by Bill Gates) ($100,000) Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation ($150,000)……”
Source: berkeleyearth.org/donors

Al Gore – 30 January 2013
“Al Gore brushes off critics of his sale of Current TV to oil-backed Al Jazeera by saying he ‘understands the criticism but disagrees with it'”
Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270497/Al-Gore-brushes-critics-sale-Current-TV-oil-backed-Al-Jazeera-saying-understands-criticism-disagrees-it.html
****************************
Dana Nuccitelli – Guardian environmental contributor & works for Tetra Tech oil and gas services company.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/07/22/dana-nuccitellis-vested-interest-oil-and-gas/
Tetra Tech Expands Services to Shale Oil Market with Rooney Engineering Acquisition
PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun. 6, 2012– Tetra Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTEK) announced today that it has acquired Rooney Engineering, Inc. (REI), an oil and gas pipeline planning and engineering firm based in Colorado.
http://www.tetratech.com/press-releases/tetra-tech-expands-services-to-shale-oil-market-with-rooney-engineering-acquisition.html
****************************
On 20 April 2002 Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri was elected Chairman of the IPCC.
In 2005 Pachauri set up a residual oil extraction technology company called Glorioil. It advised and gave technical assistance to big oil companies on extracting residual oil from fields which would otherwise have been abandoned.
Glorioil (now Glori Energy based in Houston, Texas)

PhilM
November 10, 2013 2:43 pm

Not sure, but I believe the data held by NASA is public. However the data held by its Partners is not, so you’d have to submit requests to Columbia University or GISS – likely the reason for the rejection by the judge, and also wouldn’t be honored.
Thank you Anthony – good luck Steve.

November 10, 2013 2:48 pm

Well said Grant.
But I fear that in the future the dishonest will learn to NOT name their folders after Steve or Antony.
And then how could a Judge find them as relevant?

Jimbo
November 10, 2013 2:52 pm

A climate change denial group once funded by oil giant ExxonMobil (2012 revenues: $453.123 billion) won a legal victory last week over NASA when a federal judge ordered the space agency to turn over more documents related to its 2007 revisions of global temperature data. Release of the information will have no effect on the climate change data that scientists are using to determine the extent of global warming that is occurring.

Why should the publicly funded NASA handing over data be a problem? No effect on data? Where is the former NASA employee and climate change activist Dr. James Hansen who has been arrested at least two times over his climate activism? It’s all for the grand kiddies. Only Hansen has grand children.
The data is good. Yeah right.
http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/hansen-was-a-naughty-y2k-boy/
http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/why-hansen-had-to-corrupt-the-temperature-record/
http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/hansen-the-climate-chiropractor/

albertalad
November 10, 2013 2:56 pm

Jimbo says: Great resource big guy. Mind if I take it to use with the green crowd here in Canada when we fight over oil companies, as we do frequently up here?

Jimbo
November 10, 2013 3:00 pm

“Steve” and “alternate cleaning” directories,

Now, which of these 2 directories would a smart lawyer be interested in? Ducking and diving, weaving and feigning over public records. Why hide???? Is it THAT interesting??? FOIA, please help.
Gavin Schmitdt should know it’s to get out. You have been someone’s bitch for too long.

Txomin
November 10, 2013 3:05 pm

What a well crafter piece of propaganda. Hats off. I understood nearly nothing other than evil people are after saint-like scientists.

Jimbo
November 10, 2013 3:16 pm

albertalad says:
November 10, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Jimbo says: Great resource big guy. Mind if I take it to use with the green crowd here in Canada when we fight over oil companies, as we do frequently up here?

Take it ALL! If they say there are no links for all the references, tell them that Google is their friend. 😉 [I don’t put links to all to avoid going straight into the spam bin. ]
PS there are many, many other examples of greens taking fossil fuel money and INVESTING TOO! Check it out.

May 2013
The Guardian
The giants of the green world that profit from the planet’s destruction
The Nation
Time for Big Green to Go Fossil Free
The Nation
Why Aren’t Environmental Groups Divesting from Fossil Fuels?

Do I hear hypocricy. There are many, many examples of green, climate change ‘hippos’ too. 🙂

Réaumur
November 10, 2013 3:19 pm

Jimbo says:
November 10, 2013 at 2:41 pm

Excellent point!

Jimbo
November 10, 2013 3:21 pm

When I get smeared my friends I fight fire with fire. It’s the only sensible thing to do. Did I hear Exxon? Have I heard tobacco before? Of course I did so here we go again!
The BBC Pension fund, as at 31 March 2013, had investments in the following tobacco companies:
Altria Group
British American Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco
Reynolds American

Al Gore, the climate change campaigner, has been quoted in 1996 by the New York Times saying:

“Throughout most of my life, I’ve raised tobacco,”……..”I want you to know that with my own hands, all of my life, I put it in the plant beds and transferred it. I’ve hoed it. I’ve chopped it. I’ve shredded it, spiked it, put it in the barn and stripped it and sold it.”

Earlier in the same article the New York Times said:

“Six years after Vice President Al Gore’s older sister died of lung cancer in 1984, he was still accepting campaign contributions from tobacco interests. Four years after she died, while campaigning for President in North Carolina, he boasted of his experiences in the tobacco fields and curing barns of his native Tennessee….”


In 2007 the Union of Concerned Scientists issued a report called “ExxonMobil’s Tobacco-like Disinformation Campaign on Global Warming Science”.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has in the past received funding from the Grantham Foundation, which is bankrolled by hedge-fund manager Jeremy Grantham. At the time of the funding the foundation had holdings in tobacco giant Philip Morris. In August of 2011 his fund owned millions of shares in fossil fuel companies such as Exxon Mobil.

One of the founders of the wildlife and climate campaigning WWF is Dr. Anton Rupert. The now deceased Dr. Rupert made his fortune from the cigarette manufacturing company called Voorbrand, re-named Rembrandt, now consolidated into Rothmans.
Ref: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1508360/Anton-Rupert.html

British American Tobacco Biodiversity Partnership: Fauna & Flora International, the Tropical Biology Association and Earthwatch Institute. Through the Partnership, we are involved in more than 30 biodiversity projects worldwide.
We donated £1 million per year to the Partnership in its first five years, and £1.5 million per year for the five years from 2006. In 2010, we agreed the scope of work for the next five years of the Partnership, with a commitment of £1.5 million per year. ”
Source:http://www.bat.com/ar/2010/directors-report/business-review/strategic-review/responsibility.html

curiousnc
November 10, 2013 3:33 pm

I am in the process of trying to do a little climate educating. Currently our discussion is around Hansen’s nuclear energy embrace. Does anyone know if he has any documented ties with the industry? I have just started searching but thought I would ask here, too. 🙂

Jquip
November 10, 2013 3:58 pm

Jimbo: “What do you call these then?”
You’re getting tangled up on cui bono and cui bozo. Cui bono, ‘who benefits’ is a well known fallacy. But cui bozo, ‘clowns benefit’ is well know as a valid and sound proof of shenanigans.

November 10, 2013 4:04 pm

Here is the Climate Audit post about Hansen’s readjustment of the adjusted temperatures, (which was later followed by a later re-readjustment.) This was the wake-up call for me. Up until this point I had many doubts, but was “undecided.” After this point I became the black sheep of my family, as I became intensely skeptical, was angry at Hansen, and even used rude words like “Fraud.”
2007. Six long years ago. How the time flies!
http://climateaudit.org/2007/08/08/a-new-leaderboard-at-the-us-open/

November 10, 2013 4:07 pm

My comment may have gone into the spam bin, likely because I used the five letter word F-R-A-U-D in the same sentence as the name of a climate scientist. Sorry about that.

andyd
November 10, 2013 4:13 pm

Jquip: ‘cui bozo’ would mean ‘who clowns’ surely.