Scientist who saw drowned polar bears reprimanded [Environuts think he should get an apology]

Associated Press ^ | Sep 28, 2012, 8:55 PM EDT | BECKY BOHRER

[Hunton Peck]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- An Alaska scientist whose observations of drowned polar bears helped galvanize the global warming movement has been reprimanded for improper release of government documents.

An Interior Department official said emails released by Charles Monnett were cited by a federal appeals court in decisions to vacate approval by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of an oil and gas company's Arctic exploration plan.

The official, Walter Cruickshank, deputy director of BOEM, said in a memo that an inspector general's investigation contained findings that Monnett had improperly disclosed internal government documents, which he said were later used against the agency in court. He also said the investigation made other findings in regards to Monnett's conduct, but he wasn't taking action on those. He would not specify those findings.

Cruickshank called Monnett's "misconduct very serious," and said any future misconduct may lead to more severe discipline, including removal from federal service.

Monnett was briefly suspended last year during an inspector general's investigation into a polar bear research contract he managed. The inspector general's report, which was released Friday, said its investigation was set off by a complaint from an unidentified Interior Department employee who alleged that Monnett wrongfully released government records and that he and another scientist, Jeffrey Gleason, intentionally omitted or used false data in an article they wrote on polar bears. During that investigation, authorities also looked into the procurement issue.

Jeff Ruch, executive director of the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which has been involved in the matter on Monnett's behalf, said Friday that the issue of the document release did not even come up in investigators' questioning of Monnett.

He called the outcome "completely unexpected," and said Monnett is confused by it.

PEER, in a news release, said the email disclosure had nothing...

[Hunton Peck]

It'd be interesting to know what that other conduct the Bureau isn't taking action on, and doesn't want to disclose to the public, is all about.

BTW, anyone ever notice how Dems don't seem to ever actually campaign on the "climate change" they fret about so much once they're in office?

[edcoil]

So no polar bear has ever died before? Remarkable. Kinda kills the evolution thing however.

[Jonty30]

As I recall, he didn’t see drowned polar bears, but polar bears that were swimming miles from any land or ice.

I also recall that polar bears can swim for miles and miles with relative ease. They are almost as comfortable being in water as they are on land.

[puppypusher]

A drowned Polar Bear No more indicates we are having an incident of Global Warming than would the site of a drowned Human.

Accdidents do happen and even animals die of natural causes.

[Figment]

They’re like a giant Lab retriever. Hollow hair, webbed toes and all. You’d have tie a large anchor to one to sink it

[MasterGunner01]

Polar bears can swim for miles in the open arctic ocean. They live on frozen ice and ice flows. They can move or swim about. How, precisely, does one drown one of them?