Bill introduced to ban ‘junk science’ state-funded reports
Assemblyman Kevin de León has introduced a bill that would ban state-funded contracts with public or private universities for research unless they meet minimum academic standards, including peer review.
De León attacked a recent report by California State University Sacramento business school dean Sanjay Varshney and economist Dennis Tootelian, calling their report on the economic effect of AB 32 as “junk science,” prompting the lawmaker to introduce the legislation. De León also wrote Sacramento State president Alexander Gonzalez, saying he will oppose future state contracts for research unless the university adopts academic standards such as peer review.
Varshney and Tootleian’s report has been attacked by numerous environmentalists and even fellow professors in recent months, after the couple found climate change law AB 32 could cost businesses as much as $50,000. On Wednesday, the California Air Resources Board said that Varshney and Tootelian’s “estimate was unrealistic.”
The air board’s latest economic report estimates 2 million jobs would be created during the next decade, including 10,000 clean-tech and green business-related jobs. The board said AB 32, which requires greenhouse gas emissions to be at 1990 levels by 2020, would not create an economic crisis for the state.
“We can’t afford to waste taxpayers’ money on shoddy academic research,” De León said of Varshney and Tootelian’s work in a news release cash advance no fax. “What I really want is our money back, but short of that I don’t want another dime wasted on junk science.”
However, according to media reports, the California Small Business Roundtable, a branch of the California Small Business Association, paid $54,000 for the Varshney-Tootleian report — and the association does not receive state funding.
Varshney and Tootelian have adamantly defended their analysis.
“We stand by the findings of our research, and emphasize that the costs of AB 32 are materializing quickly as utilities announce sky-high rate increases, and the still the economic benefits of AB 32 are yet to be seen,” the Sac State officials said Monday in a news release. “The methodology that was employed in our report was beneficial in accounting for the variables; our approach was practical and relevant to the current economic reality.”
Assemblyman Dan Logue, a Republican from Linda, has introduced a bill that could delay full implementation of AB 32 until the jobless rate is 5.5 percent or less for a year. The current jobless rate is 13 percent in the state. He has used the Varshney-Tootelian report to support his claims that AB 32 will have a long-lasting negative effect on the state.
Filed under: business by Wolf