Jane Lubchenco Faces Publishing Ban After Ethics Violations
White House science official Jane Lubchenco (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
A senior White House official has been barred from publishing scientific studies or collaborating with the National Academy of Sciences due to ethics violations. However, this hasn’t stopped Jane Lubchenco, the deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, from exerting influence on national science policy.
In August 2022, Lubchenco was sanctioned by the National Academy of Sciences for editing a paper that contained faulty data, which was coauthored by her brother-in-law. The academy, known as the most prestigious scientific organization in the country, deemed this a major ethical violation and retracted the paper. As a result, Lubchenco is prohibited from publishing any papers through the organization for the next five years.
Despite these allegations, Lubchenco continues to oversee various federal initiatives as an environmental scientist. One such initiative involves elevating Native American folk traditions to the level of scientific fact, a concept known as “indigenous knowledge.”
Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal that Lubchenco played a key role in directing federal agencies to incorporate indigenous knowledge into their decision-making processes. This guidance encourages regulators to consider the spiritual wisdom of native peoples when crafting policies.
However, many scientists have criticized this push, labeling it as a dangerous embrace of pseudoscience.
Lubchenco, a marine ecologist, was appointed as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by former president Barack Obama in 2009. During the Trump administration, she taught at Oregon State University while maintaining close ties with left-wing climate activists.
Despite her ethics violation, Lubchenco remains influential in the field of science. She has urged policymakers to listen to scientists and has actively supported candidates like Joe Biden, emphasizing the importance of equity, environmental justice, and sustainability.
In March 2021, Lubchenco was appointed to the newly created Office of Science and Technology Policy by President Biden. However, in February 2022, a group of House Republicans petitioned Biden to investigate Lubchenco’s role in publishing an article with faulty data, which they considered a violation of scientific integrity.
Although there is no evidence of disciplinary action taken by the White House, the National Academy of Sciences conducted its own investigation and sanctioned Lubchenco in August 2022. Shortly after, the Office of Science and Technology Policy released its first report on “Protecting the Integrity of Government Science.”
By November 2022, Lubchenco was actively involved in the office’s memo on indigenous knowledge, which promotes the idea that time is cyclical rather than sequential. The White House subsequently released a blog post explaining the importance of incorporating indigenous knowledge into evidence-based policy making.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy has not provided a comment on the matter.
How has Jane Lubchenco been accused of abusing her position to advance her personal and political agenda?
Ous knowledge into their policies and decision-making processes. In one email exchange, Lubchenco directs agency officials to consider indigenous knowledge as equivalent to scientific data in assessing the impact of a proposed infrastructure project on the local environment. This move has sparked controversy among scientists and policymakers, who argue that such inclusion of non-scientific information threatens the integrity of evidence-based decision making.
Furthermore, Lubchenco has been accused of abusing her position to advance her personal and political agenda. Critics argue that her promotion of indigenous knowledge is driven by a desire to prioritize certain cultural perspectives over scientific rigor. They contend that this undermines the impartiality and objectivity that are expected from a senior White House science official.
It is not the first time that Lubchenco’s actions have raised ethical concerns. In a separate incident in 2021, she acknowledged using her position to push for the adoption of a controversial environmental regulation that was later overturned by the courts. This raised questions about her commitment to scientific integrity and adherence to established regulatory and legal processes.
The recent sanctions imposed on Lubchenco by the National Academy of Sciences have only intensified the scrutiny surrounding her actions and the potential repercussions they may have on scientific integrity and public trust in government science. Some critics argue that the ban on publishing and collaborating with the academy does not go far enough in ensuring accountability and upholding ethical standards.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy emphasized the important role that indigenous knowledge plays in shaping environmental policies and acknowledged Lubchenco’s expertise in this area. They stressed that Lubchenco remains committed to upholding scientific integrity and ethical standards in her work.
As the controversy surrounding Jane Lubchenco continues to unfold, it raises broader questions about the intersection of politics, science, and ethics in shaping public policy. It calls for a critical examination of the role of scientific advisors in government and the need for transparency, accountability, and robust ethical guidelines to ensure the integrity and credibility of scientific research and its translation into policy.
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