Lamar Smith Lowers Expectations For NOAA Climate Study Probe... For Now

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the chairman of the House Science Committee, has been pressing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for months to turn over internal communications regarding a climate study, but on Tuesday Smith took a small step backward with his demands, the Washington Post reported.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Pritzker, Smith said that he would let NOAA prioritize emails from non-scientist officials at the agency regarding the climate study published in June.

"In order to move the Committee’s work forward and to allow for further discussions on issues related to the subpoenaed communications about which the agency and the Committee disagree, the Committee is willing to accommodate NOAA and prioritize communications sent and received by non-scientific personnel," he wrote in the letter. "However, this prioritization does not alleviate NOAA’s obligation to respond fully to the Committee’s subpoena."