Interior Department Updates Its Science Integity Policy
We’ve heard — in slogans and in other forms of entertainment and media — thunderous expressions such as “Unleash the Beast!” Now here’s a new one from the head of the Department of the Interior (DOI) — “Unleash the Science!” Okay, so maybe it doesn’t have the same impact as the original, but according to DOI, it's just as important.
DOI aims to ensure the integrity of the science behind every decision it makes, and is emphasizing this through a recent update to its scientific integrity policy, according to a recent blog post by the agency. As part of DOI Secretary Deb Haaland’s effort to “unleash the science,” the updated policy aims to help the public better understand the impact and value of science, including the ways it is benefiting people, wildlife and ecosystems around the country and the world.
The update codifies requirements within Chapter 3 of the DOI Department Manual for how scientific information is obtained, handled and used within the agency, and how agency scientists carry out their work, free from political or special-interest interference. The updated policy also establishes expectations for how scientific and scholarly information considered in decisionmaking is handled and used, ensuring the information is robust, of the highest quality and the result of rigorous scientific and scholarly processes. The new directive also codifies existing requirements to ensure merit-based hiring and retention of scientists and contains updated procedures for both raising and investigating scientific integrity concerns. Most importantly, information must be trustworthy.
The policy requires that the agency ensure that all grants, contracts, written agreements, cooperative agreements, permits, and leases, covered under the scientific integrity chapter include the requirements of this policy.
The blog post states that because DOI has a “unique role with science at the heart of our mission,” the science integrity policy is among the most extensive and comprehensive in the government. It builds on the model scientific integrity policy being widely adopted by other departments and science agencies following the publication of the National Science and Technology Council’s A Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice. It is further strengthened by DOI’s Code of Scientific and Scholarly Conduct, which communicates expectations to senior management officials, supervisors and scientists.
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