Date: April 6th, 2018
Agency: Local Govt., NH, State
Explanation: Bias and Misrepresentation
Scientist: Other
In a letter sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 6, 2018, a representative of the Great Bay Coalition questioned scientific research finding that the municipal wastewater is contributing to high nitrogen levels in New Hampshire’s Great Bay estuary. The Coalition, which comprises the cities of Dover, Portsmouth, and Rochester, urged EPA to conduct further research on the subject.
Environmental groups, including the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), argue that the Great Bay Coalition is engaging in “nitrogen denial” that “is very much like climate denial – it just serves to distract and confuse people, and waste precious time and money that we could be using to create healthier communities.” A representative of CLF told journalists that “the numerous scientific analyses conducted over the years, analyses that have involved 5 million data points, indicate a consensus that that municipal wastewater is stressing Great Bay’s health.”