Department of Energy Scientific Integrity Policy

The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a revised version of its scientific integrity policy applicable to scientific employees that included several significant changes. The new version cut a previous section defining scientific integrity. Although the policy promised that DOE would honor whistleblower protections, the new version removed language providing employees with a means to confidentially report concerns about a loss of scientific integrity, providing instead only that an official in the Secretary's office would serve as a general ombudsman for such concerns. The new policy also eliminated a requirement that the department would prepare an annual scientific integrity report for agency leadership. It omitted language in the former policy that required hiring to be based on merit and that provided for employees to be held accountable for upholding professional and scientific ethical standards. DOE removed language related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. In a section that promised to insulate scientific employees from external pressure, the revised policy removed the phrase "inappropriately influence" from language promising that DOE would not "intimidate, coerce, or inappropriately influence" scientific findings. The new version deleted language indicated that "political purposes" should not influence scientific work. It also deleted language making scientific personnel responsible for taking credit only for their own work.