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What’s Ahead
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| (Image credit – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) |
Congress in Recess, April 28 Funding Deadline Approaches
Members of Congress have returned to their home states and districts for a two-week spring recess. When they come back on April 24, Congress will have less than a week to pass funding legislation covering the remainder of fiscal year 2017 before an April 28 deadline, or the government will shut down. CQ Roll Call reports that congressional leaders are engaged in bipartisan negotiations and believe a budget agreement is in sight, though many differences remain unresolved.
Appropriators have been working on the fiscal year 2017 spending bills for over a year now. Details on last Congress’ House and Senate spending proposals for the science agencies are available in FYI’s Federal Science Budget Tracker. FYI also recently reported on Trump’s eleventh hour fiscal year 2017 budget requests. Over 280 scientific societies and other organizations, including AIP and eight AIP Member Societies, sent a letter last week to House and Senate leadership imploring Congress “ to complete the fiscal year 2017 appropriations process with robust investments in scientific research.”
National Academies Issuing Scientific Integrity Study
On Tuesday, the National Academies will webcast an event marking the release of a new report, “Fostering Integrity in Research.” National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt, study chair Robert Nerem, and two members of the study panel will be speaking. The report is the final product of the Academies’ long-running Responsible Science study committee, which was convened to update a 1992 report on the subject. The new report covers a variety of issues, including traditional research misconduct but also many other questions of proper conduct facing today’s complex research enterprise. The committee’s recommendations are directed to individual scientists, research sponsors, research institutions, journal publishers, and scientific societies.
NSF Geosciences Panel to Meet, Confer with Incoming Head
On Wednesday and Thursday, the advisory committee for the National Science Foundation’s Geosciences Directorate is holding its spring meeting. The directorate’s leadership is currently in transition, as its former head Roger Wakimoto, now president of the American Meteorological Society, recently departed after a four-year tenure. Incoming head, William Easterling, who begins his appointment in June, will meet with the committee midday Thursday. The committee will also hear from NSF Director France Córdova and discuss NSF’s efforts to foster convergent science, address harassment at research facilities, and respond to the National Academies’ recent review of its geospace portfolio. The full agenda is available here.
NASA Science Advisory Committee to Convene
On Wednesday and Thursday, the Science Committee of NASA’s Advisory Council will hold its first meeting of the year. The committee will discuss various missions and programs of the agency’s $5.6 billion Science Mission Directorate as well as the recent TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets discovery. Minutes from the previous meeting are available here.
NOAA Research Office Hosting Stakeholder Call
On Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is hosting a conference call led by Assistant Administrator Craig McLean, which will include a period open for questions and comments. The call is the first opportunity for many stakeholders to interact with NOAA research leadership since reports emerged of the Trump administration’s plans to impose deep funding cuts on the agency.
National Academies Initiating Two New STEM Projects
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In Case You Missed It Congress Sends Major NOAA Weather Bill to President
On April 4, the House agreed by voice vote to a Senate-amended version of the “Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act.” The bill, which has been in the works since 2013, now heads to President Trump’s desk. It is set to be the first major legislative authorization for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in over a decade. Among its many provisions, the bill authorizes a new program of sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting, a joint technology transfer initiative, tornado and hurricane forecasting improvement programs, and a commercial weather data pilot project, all at NOAA, and activities to improve research-to-operations and coordination across the U.S. weather enterprise.
Appropriators Review Nation’s Water Forecasting Capabilities
The Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee met on April 4 with leaders from the weather and prediction community to discuss ways to improve the forecasting of floods, droughts, and water quality. Subcommittee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and subcommittee Democrats used the hearing to praise the new National Water Model and to better understand the impacts that Trump’s budget blueprint would have on forecasting and prediction.
AMS Sends Letter to Smith on Climate Research Methods
On April 3, the American Meteorological Society, an AIP Member Society, responded to allegations that House Science Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) made at a March 29 hearing that climate researchers often fail to adhere to scientific method. AMS explained that basing climate projections on “known physical processes allows the scientific process to be applied rigorously, which leads to increasing confidence in the envelope of possible future climate scenarios those projections provide.” The letter also quotes from the society’s 2012 statement on climate change, which discusses in further detail why current understanding in climate research is methodologically robust.
Over 160 House Lawmakers Call for NSF Funding Increase
In a letter dated April 4, over 160 members of the House of Representatives from both parties asked key science appropriations leaders to allocate at least $8 billion to the National Science Foundation in fiscal year 2018. This would represent a $536 million, or 7.2 percent, funding increase over fiscal year 2016 levels and $886 million, or 12.5 percent, higher than President Trump’s last-minute budget request for fiscal year 2017. Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and David McKinley (R-WV) circulated the letter. A group of 69 representatives also signed onto a separate letter asking the administration to maintain robust funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
Industry Group Calls for Energy Research Boost
The American Energy Innovation Council (AEIC) released a report last week that calls for an increase in federal investment in energy research, development, and demonstration activities. At a recent panel discussion hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and AEIC, industry leaders including former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine argued the administration’s proposed reduction of funds to agencies conducting energy research would be detrimental to innovation.
Bush-Era DOE Official Tapped as Deputy Energy Secretary
President Trump tapped Dan Brouillette this past week to be deputy secretary of the Department of Energy. Brouillette is currently senior vice president and head of public policy at the United Services Automobile Association, and led DOE’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2001 to 2003. He was also staff director on the House Energy and Commerce Committee under its former chairman, Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA). While Energy Secretary Rick Perry was able to deflect questions about rumored DOE budget cuts at his confirmation hearing, Brouillette may face more insistent scrutiny. “I think [the budget] becomes a bigger part of the discussion with the nominee,” said Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Gorsuch Confirmed to Supreme Court
On April 7, the Senate confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court on a vote of 54 to 45 after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) invoked the so-called “nuclear option” to change the Senate rules to lower the vote threshold required to advance Supreme Court nominations to a simple majority. Although debate largely centered on other issues, some senators did question Gorsuch about his past criticism of “Chevron deference,” the legal principle whereby courts largely defer to agency interpretations of statutes. Some senators asked whether he believes courts can override agencies’ scientific judgments, but Gorsuch assured them that he believes the courts should defer to agency expertise on matters of fact.
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Events This Week
NOAA: Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research update teleconference
2:30 – 3:30 pm
Friday, April 14 No events.
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Opportunities NSF Seeking Advisory Committee Member Nominations
The National Science Foundation is currently accepting recommendations for new members to serve on its advisory committees. These include directorate- and office-level committees that meet biannually to provide programmatic feedback as well as committees that provide advice on specific topics, including astronomy and astrophysics. Self-recommendations are accepted.
AAAS Hiring for Multiple Policy Positions
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is currently seeking a director for its Center for Education and Workforce Programs, a program associate for its Research Competitiveness Program, and an intern for its Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights, and Law Program. Applications for each position are due in early May. Details about these and other open AAAS jobs are available here.
Know of an upcoming science policy opportunity? Email us at fyl@aip.org.Know of an upcoming science policy event? Email us at fyl@aip.org.
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