Wisconsin Republicans fire DNR scientists working on research related to climate change, pollution

[n2doc]

Republican lawmakers are cutting scientists from the Department of Natural Resources who worked on issues related to climate change, pollution and mining.

Republicans claim the cuts are designed to refocus the DNR on hunting and fishing. But Democrats say the GOP is retaliating against researchers in areas they oppose for political reasons.

“It has to be political,” Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, a member of the Legislature’s budget committee, said of the cuts. “The public hasn’t called for this. Most people in the state want decisions about the environment to be based on science, not politics.”

Republican Gov. Scott Walker, an unannounced 2016 presidential contender, included provisions in his state budget to slash 17.5 researcher positions from the DNR’s Science Services Bureau, which would leave it with 12.85 research positions.

more
http://www.wisconsingazette.com/wisconsin/wisconsin-republicans-fire-dnr-scientists-working-on-research-related-to-climate-change-and-polllution.html

[GeorgeGist]

1. Thugs.

[Half-Century Man]

2. We had 29.9 researchers? Is a .9 researcher a person just short of completeing a degree?

Anyway

Focus on Hunting and Fishing; not the natural environment of Wisconsin, not the indigenous species, and not the wildlife of Wisconsin.
How they speak reflects how they think. They see the state and everything in it as something to be eaten, bit by bit. Not sustained, not renewed, not preserved. Merely a commodity to be used by some consumer.

[Salviati]

5. probably includes a few people working part time...

[Half-Century Man]

6. Just commenting on a weird way to keep track of people. nt

[kenfrequed]

3. Run, don't Walk

Walker is either further propping up his Koch-cred and ultra right wing base for primary season (which is further evidence why Bernie is right about open debates) or he is scorching the earth (literally?!) because he is not long for the governors mansion.

[Salviati]

4. Wisconsin's great leap backwards continues...

[ewagner]

7. ummmm....

...wasn't there an article about Sen Tiffany being a driving force behind this?

[old guy]

8. This kind of thing is only going to get worse.

The repubs control the state government and will for a long time to come. They have bills to limit or erase local control of lake shore, stream, and building regulations making it illegal to have stricter regs than the one size fits all regs written by business oriented politicians. Adam Jarchow wrote a series of amendments to undermine our county zoning laws and endorsed 15 candidates to the county board to ensure their passage. He failed miserably as 13 of his picks were defeated. However, he was elected to state office from this district and has now taken his show on the road where he has repubs everywhere. By the way, in this district a suit stuffed with manure will get 60% of the vote as long as there is an R behind it.