The Interior Department has resurrected an “open science” policy that echoes a much-criticized approach in place during the first Trump administration.
In a new secretary’s order signed Aug. 29 but publicized Thursday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum spelled out how the department will pursue what it calls its “commitment to transparency, integrity and accountability” in research and decisionmaking.
“Our goal is simple: restore the American people’s trust by making sure government decisions are based on science that is open, honest and verifiable,” Burgum said. “President Trump is leading the charge to eliminate politicized ideology and replace it with a clear, common-sense standard that protects taxpayers, strengthens American innovation and puts our national interests first.”
Burgum’s order reinstates Interior’s 2018 policy known as “Promoting Open Science” and reverses changes made during the Biden administration. Other federal agencies are likewise revising their science policies, at the direction of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology.
