You may not be aware of it, but the US has an official poet. Named by the Librarian of Congress, the Poet Laureate is meant to increase the public's appreciation of poetry and the arts in general. Inspired by this example, a bipartisan group of Representatives introduced a bill that would create a Science Laureate to indicate to the US public the value placed on science. Unfortunately, that plan has hit a snag, as lobbyists freaked out over fears the Science Laureate could introduce the US public to reality on the topic of climate change.

According to Science Insider, when the bill was first introduced, it had bipartisan backing in both the House and Senate—including from Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), who is not consistently on friendly terms with the US government's science bodies. In fact, the bill had such broad support, the House bypassed committee votes and sent it straight to the floor, where it was expected to pass without incident.

There was an incident. A leader of the American Conservative Union spotted the bill and blew a gasket. In a letter sent to all Republican Representatives and other conservative lobbying groups, the American Conservative Union alleged that Obama would use the opportunity to politicize the position and use it for advocacy about "climate change and regulation of greenhouse gases.”

Science Insider also talked to someone from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who basically said that his group didn't want to see scientists talking to the public. "There’s no way to make it work,” the person is quoted as saying. “It would still give scientists an opportunity to pontificate, and we’re opposed to it.”

The bill is likely to make it back to the House floor, but only after going the full route through committee, and possibly in an amended form. But, in the meantime, the first attempt to pass it has provided a window into how some groups have become so frightened of the policy implications of basic science that they will attempt to limit the probability that the public will hear about it.