Environment Group to Sign Deal With Oil Companies After Losing Federal Funds

Facing a loss of federal funds, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, which works to increase understanding of climate change, is about to sign an agreement with oil and gas companies to help them find new sources of fossil fuels, according to the Boston Globe.

Woods Hole coauthored President Obama’s National Climate Assessment earlier this year, which blamed “increasing levels of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities” for damage to the oceans and threats to marine life.

Critics worry that working with private ventures will compromise the group’s independence. Woods Hole officials say they recognize the potential for conflicts of interest but believe they can maintain their objectivity.

Woods Hole director Susan Avery says all of the research findings will be “uncensored,” and “we will not be producing operational business products for the industry.”

Most of the organization’s funding in the past has been from federal research grants, which have been drastically cut in the past few years.