Florida's Department of Environmental Protection allegedly suspended one of its employees for using the term "climate change" in a report.
Bart Bibler claims he was suspended for two days and told to get a mental health evaluation prior to returning to work because he used the term "climate change," according to The Guardian. Bibler received a formal reprimand on March 9 because he violated Gov. Rick Scott's (R) unwritten ban on using terms like "climate change" or "global warming."
Bibler usd "climate change" in his official notes from a Florida Coastal Managers Forum meeting in February. During the meeting, climate change, rising sea levels and the possible environmental impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline were discussed.
Bibler was told to remove the words from the report, but he refused, The Washington Post reported. Bibler's case is the latest allegation that Scott has attempted to remove the words "climate change" and "global warming" from official correspondence.
The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting broke the news of the ban in March, which quickly went viral largely because Florida is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Scott's office has denied that a ban on the use of the words exists.
The state says Bibler was suspended not for using "climate change" in a report, but because he was "disrespectful, unprofessional" and he had misrepresented the meeting.
Scott has evaded questions about climate change by repeatedly saying "I'm not a scientist" and misrepresented the state's preparedness for rising sea levels, according to The Guardian. Scott, the Florida inspector general and the environmental protection department did not return The Guardian's requests for comment.
