"This policy is really about fostering an environment where science is encouraged, nurtured, respected, rewarded and protected," Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said at the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.

With its so-called Scientific Integrity Policy, NOAA becomes the first federal agency to implement a directive laid out by President Barack Obama shortly after he took office.

A new aspect of the policy states that NOAA scientists may freely speak to the media and the public about their work without having to request permission from public affairs officers at the agency, Lubchenco said.

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