Senators Send Letter to NASA Inspector General

Just over a week ago, I noted that NASA Didn’t Get the Memo on ‘ClimateGate’.  Now, it appears, two Republican senators agree.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Science and Space, and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent a letter today to the Inspector General of NASA requesting an investigation into NASA’s apparent obstruction of Freedom of Information Act requests.  The FOIA requests seek NASA’s temperature record and agency emails concerning changes agency researchers made to the temperature record in 2007.

“It is our understanding that these FOIA requests have been outstanding for two years,” Vitter and Inhofe wrote.  “We request that you investigate the reasons for the delay in not responding by the statutory deadline.  This review should include all the communications between the requester and any employee of NASA or its subsidiary organizations concerning the FOIA requests.”

It will be interesting to see how NASA officials respond.  Stay tuned!