Endangered Science

A newly-released report by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Interior details harassment of government scientists by Julie MacDonald, who was appointed by President Bush as Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. MacDonald, a former hydraulics engineer with no educational background in biology or other natural sciences, "has been heavily involved with editing, commenting on, and reshaping the Endangered Species Programs' scientific reports from the field." The report cites a former director of the Endangered Species Program who says her activities included "often intimidating and bullying" field staff "into producing documents that had the desired effect ... to minimize the Endangered Species Act as much as possible or ensnare it in court litigation.” MacDonald also violated federal rules by sending confidential internal government documents to industry lobbyists with the right-wing Pacific Legal Foundation and other opponents of the Endangered Species Act. Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus notes that MacDonald is one of many examples of what she calls "fox-in-the-henhouse government."