Milloy Comments on Penn State Scandal and Investigation of Michael Mann

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is from Steve Milloy, publisher of JunkScience.com and author of Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them.

Here's our early take on today's Penn State report (http://www.research.psu.edu/orp) on its Michael Mann investigation:

1. The review apparently extended little further than the Climategate e-mails themselves, an interview with Mann, materials submitted by Mann and whatever e-mails and comments floated in over the transom. Not thorough at all.

2. Comically, the report explains at length how the use of the word "trick" can mean a "clever device." The report ignores that it was a "trick… to hide the decline." There is no mention of "hide the decline" in the report.

3. The report concludes there is no evidence to indicate that Mann intended to delete e-mails. But this is contradicted by the plain language and circumstances surrounding Mann's e-mail exchange with Phil Jones -- See page 9 of Climategate & Penn State: The Case for an Independent Investigation (http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/docLib/20100111_PB2202Climategate.pdf)

4. The report dismisses the accusation that Mann conspired to silence skeptics by stating, "one finds enormous confusion has been caused by interpretations of the e-mails and their content." Maybe there wouldn't be so much "confusion" if PSU actually did a thorough investigation rather than just relying on the word of Michael Mann.

5. Although PSU is continuing the investigation, its reason is not to investigate Mann so much as it is to exonerate climate alarmism. On page 9 of the report, it says that "questions in the public's mind about Dr. Mann's conduct... may be undermining confidence in his findings as a scientist... and public trust in science in general and climate science specifically."

There needs to be a thorough and independent investigation of Climategate. PSU's report is a primer for a whitewash," concluded Milloy.

SOURCE JunkScience.com