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What’s Ahead
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| Current Senate Armed Services Committee chair Jack Reed (D-RI) in 2019, accompanied by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Reed and Schumer have been unsuccessful in shepherding the Senate’s version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act through to a floor vote and the legislation is now likely to proceed without one. (Image credit – Office of Sen. Reed) |
Defense Bill Moves Toward Finish Line After Senate Stumble
The House is planning to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this week, which Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicates is a finalized version negotiated behind the scenes with key senators. Congress passes a new NDAA annually to update defense policy, with a variety of science and technology provisions typically included, and the legislation generally receives broad bipartisan support. The House previously passed its own version of this year’s NDAA in September, but the Senate has not passed its counterpart version, as its attention has been preoccupied with matters such as negotiations over the Build Back Better Act spending bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) planned to move the NDAA to a floor vote last week, but a dispute over amendments derailed the effort. It now appears the Senate version will remain uncompleted, meaning the bill will not follow its usual path through a formally convened conference committee. The finalized version of the bill has not been released yet, but among the provisions it may include are ones that would tighten research security measures across federal agencies, lay groundwork for a new “Minority Institute for Defense Research,” and set up a commission to recommend reforms to the Defense Department’s longstanding planning and budgeting process.
Stopgap Funding for Agencies in Place Through Feb. 18
With congressional appropriators still far from reaching final agreement on federal budget levels for fiscal year 2022, Congress passed a stopgap measure last week that funds most agency programs at current levels through Feb. 18, 2022, extending a prior stopgap that expired Dec. 3. It is common for Congress to use such measures to buy time for negotiations, though the lack of progress this year has led some appropriators to raise the possibility of a full-year stopgap, which would generally prevent agencies from starting major new efforts. In recent history, Congress resorted to full-year stopgaps covering most agencies in fiscal years 2007, 2011, and 2013.
Basic Energy Sciences Panel Looks at Energy Technology
The Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee is meeting on Monday. The agenda includes a panel on “science and energy technology teams,” with participants from DOE’s applied energy programs discussing hydrogen, energy storage, and the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. There will also be a roundtable discussion of “foundational science for carbon-neutral hydrogen technologies,” which was the subject of a recent Basic Research Needs workshop. While DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences program has long supported research to advance energy technology, the Biden administration is seeking to more closely coordinate basic and applied research, as reflected in its restoration of the position of under secretary for science and energy now held by physical chemist Geri Richmond. Other items on this week’s agenda include an overview of DOE’s recently established National Quantum Information Science Research Centers as well as updates on its five Nanoscale Science Research Centers, SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source, and Oak Ridge National Lab’s neutron sources.
NOAA Weather Research Priorities Study up for Vote
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Science Advisory Board is meeting this week to vote on a congressionally mandated study that recommends weather research priorities for the next decade. The draft report identifies needs across three “pillars” of the weather enterprise: observations and data assimilation, forecasting, and information delivery. Among its recommendations, the report calls for Congress to increase NOAA’s high-performance computing capacity by at least 100-fold over the decade and to improve observations of boundary layers between the land, ocean, and atmosphere. It also suggests NOAA create multi-university research consortiums focused on critical research issues, pointing to the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Centers as a potential model. At its meeting, the board will also vote on a report on tsunami preparedness, which makes eight recommendations for improving NOAA’s tsunami detection, modeling, and community resilience activities, and it will discuss NOAA’s response to the board’s concerns about data dissemination problems at the National Weather Service. In addition, the board will hear updates from NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad and acting Chief Scientist Craig McLean, who announced last month he will retire from the agency in April.
NSB to Consider ‘Uneven Geography’ of STEM Education
The National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, is holding its quarterly meeting this week, with public sessions focused on ways to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields. On Wednesday, a panel of education experts will discuss the “uneven geography of K-12 STEM education,” such as differences between schools in rural and urban areas as well as the role of out-of-school education in supplementing classroom instruction. On Thursday, leaders of the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering will discuss their latest biennial report to Congress and their views on NSB’s push to reach the “missing millions,” a phrase the board uses to highlight disparities in STEM participation across demographic groups. In closed session, the board will vote on an action related to rebaselining construction of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which NSF has estimated will take an additional 16 months to complete because of pandemic disruptions.
Space Leaders Reflect on Law Restricting US-China Cooperation
On Thursday, the Secure World Foundation is holding an event to discuss the effects of a policy known as the Wolf amendment that has restricted NASA from cooperating with entities in China since 2011. The policy was first attached to the legislation that funds NASA by then-Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who chaired the House appropriations panel for the agency, and Congress has renewed it each year through the appropriations process. Speakers at the event include Charlie Bolden, who led NASA during the Obama administration, and Scott Pace, the staff lead for the National Space Council during the Trump administration. Although the policy includes a waiver process, which NASA recently exercised to coordinate observations of the Chang’e-4 rover’s landing on the Moon, various space policy experts have argued the policy is too restrictive. Meanwhile, the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act includes a provision that would enshrine the policy in statute for 10 years, removing the need to reaffirm it each year through appropriations. That bill also includes a provision that would establish an analogous restriction on nuclear technology partnerships between the U.S. and China. The House has not indicated if it supports those provisions
NASA Launching Small-Scale X-ray Observatory
NASA is scheduled to launch its Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer mission early Thursday morning from Kennedy Space Center. IXPE is an orbiting astrophysics observatory that will study the polarization of X-rays from sources such as active galactic nuclei, microquasars, pulsars, and supernova remnants. NASA selected the mission for implementation in 2017 through its Small Explorer program. It is led by a team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center with contributions from the Italian Space Agency and has a total lifecycle cost of less than $200 million.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Dec. 1 meeting of the National Space Council. (Image credit – Joel Kowsky / NASA) |
Biden Administration Stakes Out Space Priorities
In conjunction with the first meeting of the National Space Council under the Biden administration, the White House released a “space priorities framework” on Dec. 1 that outlines policy goals across agencies. These include maintaining U.S. leadership in space exploration and science, using space-based observations to support climate research and resilience, bolstering the U.S. commercial space sector, and protecting space infrastructure and U.S. national security interests in space. In her role as National Space Council chair, Vice President Kamala Harris focused the meeting on three issues: climate, the STEM workforce, and the international governance of space activities. Condemning Russia’s recent test of an anti-satellite weapon, which created an orbital debris field, Harris called for expanded “rules and norms on safety and security, on transparency and cooperation, to include military, commercial and civil space activity.” She also asked the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to explore ways of using space to inspire students to enter STEM fields and actions that can lower barriers to participation in the space workforce. Just prior to the meeting, President Biden issued an executive order amending the council’s membership to include the national climate adviser and the secretaries of agriculture, labor, education, and the interior.
Larger Role for DOE Sought in Microelectronics Initiative
At a hearing last week, House Science Committee leaders on both sides of the aisle endorsed funding the CHIPS for America Act enacted last year, though Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) added that “a one-time infusion of funding will not be enough to maintain U.S. leadership in microelectronics innovation.” Some committee members expressed interest in expanding the Department of Energy’s role in a nationwide semiconductor push, with Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) saying he is preparing legislation on the topic that may propose launching a “center-based effort akin to the National Quantum Centers” created through the National Quantum Initiative Act. The new centers would complement the National Semiconductor Technology Center authorized by the CHIPS Act. Berkeley Lab Director Michael Witherell testified on the long history of DOE national labs supporting microelectronics R&D, including their expertise in nanoscale science and their experience partnering with the semiconductor industry. Other witnesses at the hearing stressed the importance of federal support for workforce development programs and foundational R&D for “leading-edge” technologies
Science Committee Probes Astronomy Decadal Survey
The House Science Committee held a hearing last week to discuss the new National Academies decadal survey for astronomy and astrophysics, which recommends priorities for federal agencies. Space Subcommittee Chair Don Beyer (D-VA) and Ranking Member Brian Babin (R-TX) both asked about the survey’s proposal that NASA establish a technology maturation program that would help firm up cost estimates for flagship space telescope missions before the agency commits to developing them. Babin asked whether such costs would count against each mission’s baseline or if the maturation program would have the effect of making each mission “appear to cost less than it really does.” He also expressed concern about the potential for a gap in flagship space telescopes, noting the age of the Hubble telescope and that the two flagships recommended by the last two decadal surveys have yet to launch. Survey co-chair Fiona Harrison noted that such a gap could be alleviated by the new class of “probe” missions the survey recommended, which would be capped at $1.5 billion and use more mature technologies.
Concerning ground-based astronomy, Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) highlighted challenges the National Science Foundation faces in maintaining a balance between research and facilities funding as new telescopes come online. Harrison said the problem stems in part from the structure of NSF’s budget, which funds major construction projects through an agency-wide account and facility operations through separate research divisions, but she added there are tradeoffs to changing that approach. Concerning the survey’s proposal that NSF help fund construction of both the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope, Babin noted China is a participant in the TMT project and asked what impact U.S. participation would have on “China’s ability to develop advanced mirrors and optics for their national security purposes,” and what could be done to prevent the exploitation of U.S. capabilities. Survey co-chair Robert Kennicutt replied that the subject was outside the survey’s scope.
Nonproliferation Leader Confirmed, NOAA and EPA Picks Advance
On a voice vote on Nov. 30, the Senate confirmed Corey Hinderstein to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration’s nuclear nonproliferation programs. Hinderstein previously served in a senior nonproliferation staff role at NNSA from 2015 to 2017 and has spent much of her career at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy group. On Dec. 1, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved the nomination of Jainey Bavishi to serve as deputy administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the nomination of Christopher Frey to serve as the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for R&D. Bavishi’s nomination was approved by voice vote with four Republican senators opposed, while Frey advanced on a roll call vote of 11 to 9, with all Republicans opposed except Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND). That committee’s top Republican, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), explained she was opposing all three EPA nominations under consideration due to “the lack of timely responsiveness from EPA and the rest of the administration on critical oversight issues,” noting she has repeatedly inquired about how the administration calculated the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, which seeks to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, December 6
Tuesday, December 7
Wednesday, December 8
Thursday, December 9
Friday, December 10
Monday, December 13
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Opportunities NIST Empaneling New Microelectronics Advisory Committee
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking nominations for a new congressionally chartered committee that will advise the agency on topics related to microelectronics research, development, manufacturing, and policy. The committee will consist of at least 12 members who each serve three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms. Nominations are sought from stakeholders across industry, federal laboratories, and academic institutions, among other areas, and will be accepted on an ongoing basis.
Input Sought on US-EU Export Control Cooperation
The Department of Commerce is seeking public comments on priorities for export control cooperation between the U.S. and the European Union to inform the recently established U.S-EU Trade and Technology Council. Comments should “address ways in which existing U.S. and/or European Union dual-use export control policies and practices may be more transparent, more efficient and effective, more convergent, and fit for today’s challenges, in particular with regards to the control of emerging technologies.” Comments are due Jan. 14.
George Washington University Hiring Space Policy Professor
George Washington University is hiring a tenure track professor in the field of space policy. The position will cover “all aspects of policies for outer space activities including civil, commercial, and security policies, industry and private sector issues, international private and government space activities, and other related policy issues.” Applicants must have a doctoral degree in a field relevant to space policy, and the position will begin as early as fall 2022.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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