We’ve heard this song before — and it remains just as disturbing.

The Government Accounting Office, Congress’ watchdog, has reported that the Bush administration is interfering with Environmental Protection Agency scientists as they go about the task of examining chemicals for possible health risks.

According to the GAO report, obtained this week by The Associated Press, the administration is allowing nonscientific entities to provide input into health and safety questions involving chemicals. And oftentimes, the report says, this input occurs in secret.

The matter was explored Tuesday in a hearing before the Senate Environment Committee.

The EPA’s chemical risk assessment program is intended to study — scientifically — the potential dangers posed by chemicals when people come in contact with them. Naturally, this is the work of experts who understand the chemicals and how they might impact the health of human beings.

So why are non-scientists being allowed to get involved with these assessments, and in ways the GAO claims is hampering the efforts of experts who are trying to do their jobs?

One might conclude that the administration isn’t happy with the work of EPA scientists. Translation: These scientists are finding problems the administration doesn’t want them to identify.

So their work is slowed by others in the administration, who lack the same expertise as the scientists. This delays or deters scientific findings.

We find these reports to be remarkably similar to ones related to the Bush administration’s handling of global warming studies, where government climatologists have repeatedly complained about their research being thwarted — and even altered — by others within the administration who have no expertise in the field.

By ignoring and denying scientific findings, the administration has spent most of its time downplaying the potential for climate change and arguing the matter needs more study. Only recently has the administration openly acknowledged the reality of climate change. And in its waning days, the administration is calling for halfhearted efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Absolutely nothing, of course, will happen until a new president takes office.

The purpose of government is to serve the public good, and to be accountable to citizens in the process. We remain amazed at how this administration has been allowed to block government scientists from performing the public policy responsibilities expected of them.