Our colleagues at Knowledge Ecology International have sent a sharply worded letter to the Senate opposing two James Imhofe (R-OK) amendments to the FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill (S.1710) that would weaken open access to NIH (National Institutes of Health) funded research.

Both amendments are naked attempts to eliminate public access to government funded research, in order to protect a handful of publishers.[...] Amendments like these are shocking reminders that citizens have to fight for access to the very research they have paid for as taxpayers. [...] Americans pay about $100 per capita to support the NIH, and deserve policies that promote access. When everyone has access to the research, science advances faster, and the expanded dissemination of new knowledge benefits doctors, patients and others who make more informed decisions.