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While the EPA is often portrayed as a massive bureaucracy, about half of its budget goes directly to other organizations through grants. While many of these are focused on cleanups and reducing environmental risks, the agency also funds scientific research into various health and environmental risks. The money for these research grants has historically been allocated based on a combination of scientific merit and environmental concerns.
All that started to change in August. That's when the EPA issued a new policy dictating that all grant programs must be run past a political appointee from the EPA's public affairs office. Now, a new report indicates that this PR specialist is cancelling individual grants.
The appointee is named John Konkus. He occupies the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Public Affairs, which is a public relations position. Konkus has a bachelor's degree in government and politics, and he appears to have no scientific background—the closest is having worked for former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) back when Boehlert chaired the House Science Committee. Since then, Konkus worked for then-Lieutenant Governor Rick Scott in Florida, spent time at a political consulting firm, and then got involved with the Trump campaign.
Despite the complete lack of scientific qualifications, however, the EPA decided to put him in charge of grants. In August, E&E News obtained a policy document stating that any proposals for grant programs need to be run through the Office of Public Affairs, specifically John Konkus. No funding program is allowed to go forward if Konkus does not approve it. This can include scientific funding, as well as grants for educational or environmental programs.
Now, The Washington Post is reporting that Konkus isn't only reviewing future grant programs; he has cancelled millions of dollars in grants that had already been through the review process and deemed worthy of funding. Some of these grants went to universities and so were likely involved in funding basic research. In addition, the report notes that the EPA briefly suspended funding for grants to Alaska at a time when the Trump administration was feuding with one of its senators.
According to the Post, "Konkus has told staff that he is on the lookout for 'the double C-word'—climate change—and repeatedly has instructed grant officers to eliminate references to the subject in solicitations."
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday September 07 2017, @11:44PM (5 children)
Oh, let's not forget lots and lots of voter registration / vote counting shenanigans by the GOP.
Oh please! You won't make the sale by singling them out. They're no more fraudulent than the DNC.
The analyists who actually analyze do convince those who will listen.
Which amounts to what, about 1% at best?
If nothing else, Trump won because he acted like a human, where all the others on both sides were party mannequins.
Lamestream Media
And reciting internet memes doesn't help the cause one little bit. In fact, most people are repulsed by it.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @01:23AM (4 children)
I'm calling fanboy bullshit on that.
...or you can link to something that mentions Kris Kobach by name and a Donkey who has done something remotely similar.
While you're at it, try to find a Donkey functionary whose election-related actions have been struck down by a judge.
Lamestream Media
internet memes
Media that changes its coverage of news based on keeping advertisers/sponsors/underwriters happy is LAME.
When you have to guess which part is true and which part is corporate-friendly propaganda, why bother with that source?
Pacifica Radio is the only broadcast media that I find trustworthy.
It's 100 percent listener-sponsored and was, in fact, the first to do that in 1949 and remains the only such network.
If I still consumed TeeVee[1], I might give Free Speech TV a try[2]; I know that Thom Hartmann is on that.
[1] Had grown weary of that slanted/half-assed stuff before the NTSC/ATSC switchover in 2009 and didn't bother buying any new equipment.
[2] ...except that it's cable and I have never thought cable was worth what they were asking for it.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday September 08 2017, @04:28AM (3 children)
I'm calling fanboy bullshit on that.
Precisely what I am doing... I gotta a name for ya: Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Media that changes its coverage of news based on keeping advertisers/sponsors/underwriters happy is LAME.
Yeah, and?
And Pacifica? Please. It's not a good idea to bring them up. Read up a tiny bit on their tortuous history.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @11:26PM (2 children)
"The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom."
--Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson
Pacifica Radio is a democracy.
Decades ago, the founder was banned from the KPFA premises because some know-it-alls within the elected organization decided that Lewis Hill didn't have The Right Stuff.
It wasn't long before that "brilliant" bunch realized that they knew pretty much nothing about running a listener-supported radio station and they brought back Lew, who had the operation back on an even keel before too long.
In recent years, some greedy Reactionaries got inside the organization and tried to ruin it so that they could buy up the license and the grandfathered-in 112,000 watt transmitter.
They appointed another bunch of know-it-all managers who broke a bunch of stuff (as the Tea Party idiots and Dumbocrat Neoliberals have done to USA.gov).
Progressive Democracy won out and those folks are gone.
Like Iceland, which refused to bail out their banksters, Pacifica is recovering quite nicely.
In fact, KPFK's current management has resolved to do fewer fundraising days than the asswipes were doing and that's working just fine.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday September 09 2017, @12:09AM (1 child)
And their influence on the elections is still negligible. We're still at square one, never moved one bit. We are under one party rule with two bickering factions, each keeping the seat warm for the other.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @02:53AM
We are under one-party rule with two bickering factions
We agree there.
...but Bernie is currently the most popular politician in the country.
I'm waiting to see if he starts his own party and does something with that (via e.g. anti-competition rulings in courts against the aforementioned single coin with 2 sides).
[Pacifica's] influence on the elections is still negligible
Disagree.
My affiliate carries The Thom Hartmann Program.
For years, Thom had a Breakfast with Bernie segment weekly until Bernie announced his presidential run.
Bernie got a lot of folks interested in him / supporting him via those segments.
That's with a 112,000 watt transmitter in an area with over 18 million inhabitants plus 3 repeaters in outlying areas plus online streaming.
After the Donkeys stabbed Bernie in the back, a lot of those folks who had previously been enthused stayed home on Election Day.
In total, 42 percent of all registered voters stayed home.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]