What is the source of the antiscience bills that have been infesting statehouses around the country? In "Not Smart, But Not ALEC Either," posted on DeSmogBlog (February 28, 2013), NCSE's deputy director Glenn Branch explains that although the American Legislative Exchange Council is sometimes blamed for having drafted a model bill that inspired antiscience bills like Arizona's Senate Bill 1213, "the bill is, historically, a manifestation not of antienvironmentalism but of antievolutionism."
"It's not as though ALEC isn't interested in undermining the teaching of climate science in the public schools," Branch acknowledges. "But so far there is no clear evidence" of ALEC's involvement with any of the current crop of antiscience bills, "while there is ample evidence that the Discovery Institute is actively encouraging their introduction and supporting their passage." In any case, he insists, it is clear that "these bills, if enacted, would compromise the quality of science education."