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That's phenomenally stupid. Rather than getting best estimates, they are explicitly requesting that scientists over-estimate the probability of disaster and cry wolf. That in turn will mean they will have even less warning should something genuine turn up.

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Ever hear of "defensive medicine" where doctors will prescribe extra courses of care and tests, just to validate what they already know to be true in order to avoid possible litigation in the rare case that they might be wrong?

Asking for certainty in areas where it can't be mathematically guaranteed is extremely expensive.

A real pain. And the phenomenon has spread far and wide. Even though not everyone has such litigious systems the costs relating to defensive medicine are spreading.

"just to validate what they already know to be true"

Not to forget, making money from it, or, at least, bringing money to the associated laboratories or doctors.

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