Professor of oceanography John Anderson was commissioned to write a report on the state of Galveston Bay by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; but when the TCEQ saw his report they decided to delete all references to human-caused climate change and other human impacts on the environment: Professor says state agency censored article.

GALVESTON - A long-awaited report on Galveston Bay is being delayed by accusations that Texas’ environmental agency deleted references from a scientific article to climate change, people’s impact on the environment and sea-level�rise.

John Anderson, the Maurice Ewing professor of oceanography at Rice University and author of the article, accused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of basing its decision to delete certain references on politics rather than�science.

“I don’t think there is any question but that their motive is to tone this thing down as it relates to global (climate) change,” Anderson said. “It’s not about the science. It’s all�politics.”

The article has several references to climate change but does not say it is caused by humans. However, other references to the impact people have had on the environment were deleted by�TCEQ.

TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea Morrow gave no reason for the deletions in an e-mail response, saying only that the agency disagreed with information in the�article. “It would be irresponsible to take whatever is sent to us and publish it,” she�said.

Anderson said TCEQ prevented the article - written for a report by the agency’s Galveston Bay Estuary Program - from being published without the deletions. That, and Anderson’s refusal to accept the changes, have held up publication of The State of the Bay. …

Jim Lester, vice president of the research center and editor of the publication, said he, co-editor Lisa Gonzalez and Anderson have advised TCEQ officials that they do not want their names associated with the edited�version.