Charles Monnett, a wildlife biologist working for the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has been under investigation since July 2011, when he was suspended from his post as a contracting official, responsible for review and oversight of research conducted by outside groups. Until now, the only explanation for the investigation from BOEM has been "integrity issues," but new documents obtained by Nature reveal that Monnett actively supported a proposal from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct a study synthesizing Arctic research, while resisting a similar proposal from oil and gas companies.
NOAA proposed integrating research on different sectors of the Arctic environment to determine the impact of oil and gas exploration in the far North. Monnett communicated with the NOAA researchers between February and May 2011, making edits and giving advice on how to strengthen to their draft proposal. NOAA was awarded the contract soon ...
