Gristmill Granholm comparison screwy

by: Eric B.

Mon Aug 27, 2007 at 19:28:16 PM EDT

Eliminating the Office of Technological Assessment was indeed a deeply stupid thing.  It led to the rapid politicization of science, which itself is at least partially to blame for testimony before the U.S. Senate by science fiction author Michael Crichton (spoonbending!) on global warming.

How about the Michigan Environmental Science Board?  Well, it has its most devout defender in its former chairman, Keith Harrison.  Here, Harrison defends his board in an impassioned Op-Ed piece.

If you followed the link, you might be confused.  It took you to the Mackinac Center Web site.

But elimination of the MESB will result in higher costs to taxpayers.

Their findings perhaps most famously resulted in stinging criticism over their suggestion that children's health be studied more, even when empaneled pediatricians advised action.

The two pediatricians on the panel, Dr. William Weil and Dr. Ruth Etzel, supported a minority report which disagrees with the MESB conclusions. The safety factor they recommend would reduce the amount of pollution to which children are exposed by ten-fold. It would account for the lack of data on thousands of chemicals currently in use which have never been tested to determine their developmental toxicity.

It's very telling how these folks all end up at the Mackinaw Center. Keith Harrison can whine till hell freezes over. In 2002 in mid-Michigan we watched Mr. Harrison work hand in hand with Russ Harding, James Haveman and others in the Engler Administration to foist a risk assessment down the throats of local residents impacted by Dow Chemical's pervasive dioxin contamination in Saginaw, Bay and Midland counties. Toxicologists from MDEQ and MDCH attempted to weigh in heavily against the proposed science but their comments were never shared with the public and they were not permitted to speak to the media or to speak at  public meetings. This Monte Carlo Risk Assessment was proposed by Dow Chemical but that was never revealed by anyone, including Mr. Harrison,  until meeting notes were obtained via a FOIA....... Mr. Harrison sat front and center and spit on transparency and open government. Good riddance!