Fox News uncritically aired attacks on the approval of an environmental science textbook by the Texas Education Agency, saying its passage will “push particular viewpoints” as a result of “socialized education.” But the textbook's passage had nothing to do with the Common Core Standards, and simply contains scientifically accurate information about hydraulic fracturing and climate change.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) approved a textbook titled Environmental Science to be on its list of recommended science textbooks last week, despite testimony from oil and gas advocate Becky Berger who claimed that the book is full of inaccuracies and “very one-sided.” On November 25, Fox and Friends co-host Steve Doocy interviewed Cynthia Dunbar formerly of the Texas State Board of Education, who fears that the passage of the scientifically accurate textbook is evidence that Common Core standards will beget “indoctrination through our textbooks.”

Berger complained in the hearing that Environmental Science was full of “misleading, inaccurate and partial explanations” on the subjects of climate change, wind power, ozone layer depletion, and hydraulic fracturing risks. Berger, an oil and gas geologist who grew up deeply involved in the energy industry, claimed that the textbook in question misleads on the risks of hydraulic fracturing to water supplies. She reportedly spent two hours evaluating the book and provided “no actual written documentation to back up her claims,” contrasting the months-long evaluation process from the state's official review teams, which did not find any substantive factual errors in the textbook. The review panel “identified three minor errors, but none of them having to do with the substance of the textbook,” the Texas Tribune reported. However, this did not stop Doocy from suggesting that Berger's testimony was “disqualified” solely because she is currently “running for office as a Republican” to be Texas railroad commissioner.

Meanwhile, Common Core Standards have not been enacted in the state of Texas, something that Dunbar even pointed out during her interview with Doocy; the hearing was held by a state agency to approve new science textbooks in Texas public schools. However, Dunbar then advised citizens to be concerned about “socialized education,” as textbook publishing companies “gear towards” the Common Core standards. In fact, Common Core currently doesn't have any specified regulations for textbooks; its website explains that the standards are designed simply to “enable collaboration between states on a range of tools and policies, including [...] the development of textbooks, digital media and other teaching materials aligned to the standards.”

This is not the first time Fox has fretted over environmental education in public schools; when the Environmental Protection Agency hosted lesson plans on climate change, Fox Business cried “propaganda.”