The gag reflex: Trump info shutdowns at US science agencies, especially EPA | On Science Blogs

"Bad Astronomer Phil Plait is gagging at the gag orders suddenly clamped on government science, and he is far from alone. He is talking particularly about Environmental Protection Agency staff and scientists at the Agricultural Research Service. But Official Silence has been imposed at other government agencies too.

No press releases. No blog posts. No tweets. Speculation that researchers will not even be permitted to publish their findings in journals in the usual way.

Writing about the gag orders and also Trump’s executive order to freeze all EPA grants and projects at Nothing in Biology Makes Sense, grad student Christina Jenkins said, 'Before now we were talking in hypotheticals, about what might happen if Trump was the president, what that might mean for science or for the environment. The reality is scarier than I imagined.'

Is this really the new government lowering the boom on taxpayer-funded science? Or is it scaremongering overreactions? Plait himself notes that, at data-minded FiveThirtyEight, Maggie Koerth-Baker is cautioning against immediate full-panic mode. It’s possible the restrictions are temporary, intended only to give the new administration a chance to settle in.

There’s also evidence of confusion and crossed wires and, possibly, speedy reactions to public protests. On Tuesday, media reported that references to climate change had been ordered removed from the EPA’s web site. Outrage surfaced immediately. On Wednesday, Science reprinted a post from Robin Bravender and Hannah Hess of E&E News. They reported that the order to scrub all mention of climate change, said to have come directly from the White House, had been put on hold.

Temporary hold? Nobody knows for sure. But we may find out soon. At Vox, Brian Resnick points out that it’s not unusual for work at government agencies to be halted briefly while new administration appointees get their acts together. A TrumPet told him that the EPA restrictions will be lifted today (Friday, Jan 27.)"