UPDATE: I’ve confirmed this document, see below the “read more” line.
It appears bigger things are brewing related to CRU’s Climategate.
WUWT commenter J.C. writes in comments:
I work at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. I’ve been following the Climategate scandal since its inception. The first time many of my coworkers had heard of the situation was when I asked them about it.
Well, well, well.
Look what was waiting in every single email Inbox on Monday morning:
______________________________________________
“December 14, 2009
DOE Litigation Hold Notice
DOE-SR has received a “Litigation Hold Notice” from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) General Council and the DOE Office of Inspector General regarding the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in England. Accordingly, they are requesting that SRNS, SRR and other Site contractors locate and preserve all documents, records, data, correspondence, notes, and other materials, whether official or unofficial, original or duplicative, drafts or final versions, partial or complete that may relate to the global warming, including, but not limited to, the contract files, any related correspondence files, and any records, including emails or other correspondence, notes, documents, or other material related to this contract, regardless of its location or medium on which it is stored. In other words, please preserve any and all documents relevant to “global warming, the Climate Research Unit at he University of East Anglia In England, and/or climate change science.”
As a reminder, this Litigation Hold preservation obligation supersedes any existing statutory or regulatory document retention period or destructive schedule. The determination of what information may be potentially relevant is based upon content and substance and generally does not depend on the type of medium on which the information exists. The information requested may exist in various forms, including paper records, hand-written notes, telephone log entries, email, and other electronic communication (including voicemail), word processing documents (including drafts, spreadsheets, databases, and calendars), telephone logs, electronic address books, PDAs (like Palm Pilots and Blackberries), internet usage files, systems manuals, and network access information in their original format. All ESI should be preserved in its originally-created, or “native” format, along with related metadata. Relevant backup tapes and all indexes for those tapes should also be preserved. Further, information that is reasonably accessible must nonetheless be preserved, because such sources will, at the very least, need to be identified and, under compelling circumstances, may need to be produced.
If you have any doubts as to whether specific information is responsive, err on the side of preserving that information.
Any employee who has information covered by this Litigation Hold is requested to contact Madeline Screven, Paralegal, SRNS Office of General Council, 5-4634, for additional instructions.
Michael L. Wamsted
Associate General Council”
_______________________________________________
Everyone on-site who has an email account received this letter. That’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 8000 people. How about that? And this is the first official mention of the entire subject that I have seen.
DOE-SR = Department of Energy Savannah River
SRNS = Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
SRR = Savannah River Remediation
NOTE: Some commenters raised some doubts about the authenticity of this email.
I checked out a couple of things before I posted this. The IP address of J.C. comes from the correct location in South Carolina, Aiken, and the name Michael L. Wamsted does work for DOE at the SRS in SC in legal. See http://phonebook.doe.gov/
Also the existence of the paralegal “Madeline Screven” listed in the email (whom I believe composed it) is listed in the DOE phonebook search of “Screven” and is listed in the same building as Wamsted.
The “Council -vs- Counsel” spelling error could be something as simple as a spell checker substituting the wrong word, or just a dumb mistake when composing email where the spell checker would not flag “council” as it is spelled correctly. Heck, I misspell “meteorologist” sometimes in correspondence, dropping an “o”. I have had a situation sometimes where “metrologist” (also valid) gets substituted on spell check. Spelling mistakes, compounded with spell checker substitution errors – they happen. I have one computer (the one I’m typing on) that always switches the word “because” to “becuase” in spell checks for some odd reason, and I can’t figure out how to correct it. So I live with it and try to manually fix it when I notice it. There is another spelling error “Climate Research Unit at he University”. Which is a mistake I make from time to time, missing the “t” on the. Spell checkers don’t catch that one, since “he” is a correctly spelled word.
If the IP had not come from Aiken, SC where Savannah River Site and lab is, I would be highly suspect of it. But the IP address in Aiken and the names check out. Aiken is right next to SRS.
See the doc and map for directions here: http://www.srs.gov/general/about/directions_aiken.pdf
The language used also checks out, it has been reviewed by an attorney who frequents WUWT and he raised no red flags. Steve McIntyre points out that Dr. Jones got funding from DOE (of which SRS is part of). The different pieces connect pretty well and I don’t have a reason to doubt this memo sent via email today. – Anthony
======================
UPDATE: 12/15/12:36 PST
I called SRS Legal office just now and spoke with Madeline Screven, who is listed as a paralegal in the letter I posted. I found her telephone number via the DOE phonebook.
When I called, she fully identified herself in her greeting to me, I explained who I was, giving my full name. She asked if I was “on or off site” referring to SRS. I explained I’m off-site.
My question: “Do you have a litigation hold notice related to the Climate Research Unit.”
Her answer: “Yes we do”
Confirmed.
Is this the ad hominem attack of all ad hominems?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/2009/12/cop15_questions_about_sex.html
Sorry, chaps, the game’s afoot. Your scepticism is down to “climate scepticism has psychological roots; that it stems from a deep-seated inability or unwillingness to accept the overwhelming evidence that humanity has built with coal and lubricated with oil its own handcart whose destination board reads “climate hell”.”
Data manipulation
Defective climate models
Peer-review jiggery-pokery
Squeezing out contrary opinions
FOI infringements
Etc, etc
But no, the thing that Roger Black wants to talk about is the appearance that “virtually all climate sceptics are men”.
And in a list of prominent sceptics, no mention of Anthony. Roger Black would rather mention Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, thank you very much. Why is it that the alarmists never mention Anthony’s name when referring to prominent sceptics. What are they scared of?
It’s the Climactic Research Unit, not the Climate Research Unit. Can an incorrect name invalidate the order?
***********
jtwigge (08:54:34) :
I think Richard Blacks latest post at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/2009/12/cop15_questions_about_sex.html deserves a barrage of complaints. He really is getting desperate.
*********
Despite efforts to reverse the tendency, I believe it is still the case that more men than women get into scientific fields. His take on skeptics statistics isn’t that surprising to me and really is a non-issue anyway.
All we need now are a few NASA and NOAA whistle blowers to really get this party rocking!!
There must be hundreds of employees of those two agencies who know whats real and whats fake.
If you’ve been working on the homework assignment I gave you, then you have discovered the meaning of the two words I left you with, “Hegelian Dialectic”.
What you should have discovered is; Problem, Reaction, Solution.
They create the problem, They get the expected reaction from You, They offer You the solution to the problem They created. They do this over and over again till They achieve Their ultimate goal.
Here’s some more research material to back up my statement.
What is the Hegelian Dialectic?
http://nord.twu.net/acl/dialectic.html
AGW now functionally a religion; http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BE1UR20091215
Kneel and beg forgiveness.
“”Anton (09:03:09) :
It’s the Climactic Research Unit, not the Climate Research Unit. Can an incorrect name invalidate the order?””
I don’t think so. My general understanding is that the knowledge of an order makes the order binding on you.
REPLY: Also important to point out, this is an email advising employees of the order, not the order itself – Anthony
I can think of no other reason Richard Black wrote that piece other than it is a desperate attempt to get lucky with one of the cute blonde Greenpeace babes
“”Mailman (07:31:25) :
Does anyone know how the American DOE can make demands of a UK based University?””
If an entity refuses to follow government regulations, they will not receive USA government funds of any type. This applies to the entire University for the action of one department.
I went to a small, conservative christian college. They did not like a few government regulations, so they had to forgo all government assistance. I think the provision was that they did not want to accept sexually active homosexuals.
Not read all posts. As others have said, I smell rat here. Possibly a hoax. Hope not.
Some eco-idiots hosted a fake news release in Dope-in-Hagen that claimed new huge carbon reductions by Canada. Was all grandstanding to make a point but, at first, was considered to be real.
The hoaxers went to a lot of trouble to make it look real.
INGSOC (09:26:12) : The link you give proves one funny thing: THEY are beginning to speak out too much. So, now the Pope a GAIA believer?.
This means that the roman catholic church is part of the “illuminati”, not opposed to, as Dan Brown presents them….Then we can understand now why the “Club of Rome” is precisely there: At Rome!
Gotto get more popcorn!
Just noticed something on the intelliweather Mercator animation, if you turn the speed upto full you see a warm air/cloud mass mid atlantic circulating gaining energy and then moving north splitting east/west with the Eastern flow moving over greeenland cooling then moving east and moving back south over the North sea between norway and the UK, the southern feed to the Atlantic anomaly is also interesting
I noticed this building for some days and it looks like its getting stronger, I wish there was a spliced together version for the last fortnight or so to see how this built up. Can anyone enlighten me as to the mechanics of what is happening mid Atlantic and what the results will be if it gains strength and energy? Is it pushing amounts moisture laden air North to fall as snow, if so has snow fall increased by any significant amount?
Thankyou.
**********
JonesII (08:55:16) :
Jim (08:40:20) : Hope some whistling to be heard here at WUWT and keep feeding new posts. In the meantime BIG CORN will benefit because of the big popcorn sales 🙂
***************
I just knew the evil, capitalistic corporations were behind this!!! I’m calling Greenpeace right now!!
“Michael (01:43:15) : wrote
Hi
Just to clear things up a bit. I’ve been posting here for a while – over a year maybe two, as ‘Michael’ and lately I’ve noticed another ‘Michael’ or maybe even more than one with the same screen name but I don’t troll. Maybe I’ll change to ‘Michael in Sydney’ from now on.
Cheers
Michael – in Sydney & not a troll.”
Good idea to dispel confusion. I was not concerned about it before because the other Michael’s did not sound too dissimilar to me. Perhaps I should start going by, “Michael in Florida” or “Michael N”. I haven’t decided yet.
This is just the start.. Heads must roll for the public trust to be restored.. The climate change party is over..
Alba (09:02:02) :
Read and complained to BBC.
BTW white, Scotland or neither?
It would be interesting to do a survey of political appointees in all the agencies that sponser climate research to see how many of their PC hard drives have been recently replaced or low level formatted.
Speaking of soot, I think I’ve read that soot on snow in the arctic is the culprit that is causing methane release from the permafrost. I know that there’s a lot of soot coming down in Seattle. The top of a long-parked van of mine accumulates a considerable layer of brown glop over the years.
From email 1256765544.txt
“”Trevor (05:25:09) :
I haven’t read through ALL of the responses, but there’s a point here I’d like to make. This “notice”, in effect, is not so much an order to preserve documents, as a WARNING to DESTROY them. “”
Several thoughts:
First, remember that most watergate jail time was for obstruction of justice, not the underlying crime.
Second, if the government is really mad, the bring out the RICO statue. RICO only needs two overt acts in the “Criminal Organization”. The effective minimum punishment is 30 or so years.
Third, people tend to generate a paper trail in the act of destroying the documents. This paper trail is what took down one of America’s biggest accounting firms.
Fourth, the Prisioner dilemma. The government gets all 10 people involved in the destruction of documents in separate rooms. They tell them that the first two to co-operate get free pass. The other eight get RICO prosections. Generally, there will be plenty of co-operation.
It would be really interesting to see a copy of Mann’s tax return. Anybody know where we might see it?
“”Anton (09:03:09) :
“It’s the Climactic Research Unit, not the Climate Research Unit.”
Make that “Climatic.”
(People doing climactic research are in it for the fun, not the funding.)
Alba,
The BBC is fully on board the AAM consensus, indeed it is a highly placed active member of the fabricated consensus, this fabriation could never have gained the traction it has without the massive BBC investment in time and near unlimited resources, they have a set corporate narrative to support the AAM narrative and have done so with evangelical fanaticism, trash science/biased science/dishonest science/fraudulent science combined with smear campaigns effectively silencing doubters by engaging with others in the fabricated narrative. In other words they have broken every rule in the BBC rule book.
Reporters like Black/Harrabin/Shukman were chosen as science and environment reporters NOT for their skills in the sciences but for their skills in obeying orders and working for the fabricated consensus, none of the three has the slightest interest in the actual truth or indeed mechanics of the stories they tout, they get airtime, they are the face of the narrative. Little wonder then that they resemble the fabricated consensus on many levels.
To the eternal shame of the British nation they will peddle their narrative regardless of the damage and hurt it causes, they lie and they cheat, they dissemble and manipulate without it seems a shred of moral principle, they have the microphone for now.
Prince Charles has told us, at Copenhagen, that we have just seven years before we do irreparable damage to the environment.
He also believes in homeopathic medicine.
[And ‘grey goo’. ~dbs, mod.]