Tag: Köppen climate classification

Getty Images Sixteen senior employees at the U.S. Department of Interior reassigned to new duties under President Donald Trump's administration viewed their moves as political retribution or punishment for their work on climate change, energy or conservation, according to the results of an internal investigation released Wednesday. However, investigators said they were unable to determine if anything illegal occurred because the agency leaders did not document their rationale for the reassignments. The findings by the Office of Inspector General follow a backlash over new jobs assigned to almost three dozen senior employees in the months after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke took office last year. Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift said agency officials acted within their legal authority when making reassignments. She added the department already has adopted some of the inspector general's recommendations aimed at increasing transparency and shielding the process from political interference. Approximately 225 Interior personnel are considered senior employees, known formally as the Senior Executive Service. Climate scientist Joel Clement, who resigned and filed a whistleblower complaint following his reassignment to an accounting office, said the report "sends up a red flag" that Congress should investigate. Clement's attorney, Katherine Atkinson, said his case and that of a second Interior employee she represents are under investigation by the government' Office of Special Counsel, which protects federal employees from reprisal for whistleblowing. The inspector general's investigation included interviews with 31 senior employees who faced reassignment under Zinke. Eight of those employees viewed their moves positively.