Lamar Smith, Global Warming Skeptic, Set To Chair House Science Committee

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), a skeptic of man-made global warming, is set to take over the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology in the 113th Congress.

Rep Smith, like many of his Republican colleagues, has expressed doubt that global warming is caused by human behavior. In 2009, he criticized the media for not airing enough "dissenting opinions" about climate change. "The [ABC, NBC and CBS television] networks have shown a steady pattern of bias on climate change," Smith said in a statement at the time. "During a six-month period, four out of five network news reports failed to acknowledge any dissenting opinions about global warming, according to a Business and Media Institute study. The networks should tell Americans the truth, rather than hide the facts." He also referred to environmentalists and others who warn about the seriousness of the issue as "global warming alarmists." Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones magazine notes that Smith's congressional website acknowledges that the climate is changing, but does not admit that human activity is a major factor.

As chairman of the House science panel, Smith will be replacing Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), who is also a skeptic. In 2011, Hall accused climate scientists of conspiring to concoct evidence of a warming planet.