Hurricane forecaster's memo gets national attention

FORT COLLINS – This week, the Houston Chronicle and a national cable network reported that the climate change controversy could end Dr. William Gray's hurricane forecasts at Colorado State University.

Tuesday, both CSU and Gray said that's not true.

The two media outlets cited a memo written by Gray around a year ago. Gray had gotten word that CSU was thinking of stopping its promotion of his forecasts, which he has been releasing for 25 years.

Gray, who has been a vocal critic of the science that finds global warming to be man-made, wrote in a memo to select faculty: "This is obviously a flimsy excuse and seems to me to be a cover for the Department's capitulation to the desires of some (in their own interest) who want to reign [sic] in my global warming and global warming-hurricane criticisms."

For years, CSU's public relations department has handled the large amount of media interest that swirls around Gray's forecasts.

Gray has been retired since 2004, but still has a hand in those forecasts as professor emeritus. Gray has been preparing former student Dr. Phil Klotzbach to take over the forecast.

Given the approaching transition, Dr. Sandra Woods, the dean of the College of Engineering, said there was talk about possibly limiting the amount of help CSU's PR department would provide, but she added that support was never pulled.

Woods said she told Gray about the school's decision to move forward without change shortly after he wrote the memo.

"Dr. Gray was misinformed," she said. "We will continue to support the forecast as long as Dr. Gray and Dr. Klotzbach, his research associate, want to issue it."

Gray, who is in Florida this week, spoke with 9NEWS over the phone.

He said he was "very sorry and embarrassed" about the news saying, "CSU continues to support me."

In response to his comment within the memo, Gray said, "(My stance on global warming) could have been a factor in the talks, but I don't know."

He added, "CSU has never come out to say I should restrict my views on global warming… I have absolutely no complaints at CSU."

Aside from reporting that CSU may pull support from Gray, the national cable news network, Fox News, also wrote on its Web site, "Hurricane expert may lose job over climate views."

Gray and Woods both said there was never even a whisper about that.

"There has been no change to my status at CSU," Gray said.