What’s Ahead

Next-generation battery research at Argonne National Laboratory’s Joint Center for Energy Storage Research. (Image credit – ANL)

CSIS Kicking Off Energy Innovation Event Series

On Thursday, Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar is headlining an event on energy storage and battery technology innovation hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The event is the first in a six-part series that will explore priorities of DOE and its national laboratories. This week’s session will include a panel discussion on “energy storage’s route from the laboratory to the market,” with experts from the federal, academic, and private sectors. George Crabtree, director of Argonne National Lab’s Joint Center for Energy Storage Research is one of the participants. In recent years, DOE has sought to jump-start commercialization of energy storage technologies and in January it launched an “Energy Storage Grand Challenge” initiative to accelerate the development and adoption of next-generation technologies.

In Case You Missed It

Click to enlarge

Trump Budget Mixes Broad Science Cuts With Targeted Boosts

The fiscal year 2021 budget request that President Trump released last week echoes his three previous requests in proposing extensive cuts to non-defense agencies, including rollbacks for many science programs. Though Congress will likely reject the proposed cuts, as it has in previous budget cycles, next year’s budget caps may force it to choose between channeling funding to new initiatives and maintaining other programs near their current levels. Notably, Trump’s request targets certain areas for funding increases, such as modernization of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program. The administration is also promoting a new two year plan to roughly double spending on quantum information science and artificial intelligence research across non-defense agencies. U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios will appear at the Hudson Institute on Thursday to discuss the administration’s focus on those two fields and its other priority technology areas.

Republicans Introduce Quartet of Carbon Capture Bills

House Republicans introduced four carbon management bills last week as part of their new bid to address climate change. The New Energy Frontiers Through Carbon Innovation Act would direct the Department of Energy to support “materials science, chemistry, subsurface instrumentation, and data analysis to inform the research, development, and demonstration of carbon capture, storage, and utilization technologies and techniques.” It would also instruct DOE to establish a “Carbon Utilization Energy Innovation Hub” focused on early-stage R&D on methods for converting carbon dioxide into products. The Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Innovation Act would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a 10 year direct air capture research grant program, among other provisions focused on permitting reform and financial incentives. The Trillion Trees Act would respond to an initiative that President Trump embraced at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos by requiring the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior to undertake reforestation and forest management activities to augment the sequestration of greenhouse gases. The final bill would increase a tax credit for carbon sequestration projects.

Compromise Reached on Clean Industrial Technology Act

The House Science Committee approved a suite of bipartisan energy R&D bills at a meeting on February 12. Among them was the Clean Industrial Technology Act, which would direct DOE to establish a program focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industry. The committee approved the bill by voice vote following the inclusion of an amendment from its sponsor Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) that would recommend funding for technology demonstration projects increase from $20 million to $150 million over five years. The original bill, which was not supported by committee Republicans, had authorized “such sums as are necessary,” with up to $650 million for demonstration projects. Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) said he still had reservations about the bill but appreciated efforts by the Democrats to reach an agreement by adding “responsible funding levels and good governance provisions.” The committee also advanced the Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act, the Advanced Geothermal R&D Act, the Grid Modernization R&D Act, and the Grid Security R&D Act with bipartisan support.

Court Overturns EPA Advisory Panel Membership Policy

On Feb. 10, a federal judge in New York struck down a 2017 Environmental Protection Agency policy that bars its grantees from simultaneously serving on its advisory boards. EPA justified the policy as a way of preventing conflicts of interest, but critics argued the intention was to rebalance board membership away from academic scientists so as to favor industry perspectives. The Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy organization, sued EPA last year, arguing the policy was poorly justified and therefore subject to revocation under statute. In her ruling, the judge agreed, writing, “The administrative record produced by the EPA provides no basis for finding that membership in an EPA advisory committee by scientists who have received competitively awarded, peer-reviewed EPA grants has caused bias in the work of those committees.” NRDC failed to reverse the policy through previous lawsuits and EPA has not yet indicated if it plans to appeal this latest decision.

EPA Proposal to Restrict Science Board Reviews Attracts Scrutiny

On Feb. 11, House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) requested information from the Environmental Protection Agency concerning a proposal it recently drafted that would allow only the chair of its Science Advisory Board to initiate reviews of the agency’s regulatory proposals. Members of the board voted last year to review several proposed EPA rules and subsequently issued draft reports criticizing them. In her letter, Johnson wrote that the draft proposal “appears to be a retaliatory reaction” for those reviews and argued it would grant the chair more powers than are permitted by statute. According to E&E News, which first reported on the proposal, Board Chair Michael Honeycutt has pushed back on it and the agency is planning revisions before issuing a final version.

Senators Probe Preparedness for Space Threats

At a hearing last week, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee surveyed progress in mitigating threats posed by asteroid impacts, space weather, and orbital debris. Much of the discussion centered around ways to improve space situational awareness for satellites in low Earth orbit to prevent collisions. Kevin O’Connell, director of the Commerce Department’s Office of Space Commerce, noted the office’s latest budget request includes a large increase for such efforts, including creation of an open data architecture for object mapping. Senators also highlighted the committee’s Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act, which is currently awaiting a floor vote. William Murtagh, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said the bill would boost efforts to implement the National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan the White House issued last year. The head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, noted the agency has started a pilot program with NOAA to expedite transition of space weather research advances into operational models. He also highlighted NASA’s efforts to monitor asteroids and other near Earth objects (NEOs), including its recent decision to move ahead with a space-based NEO-detection mission to expedite progress toward meeting the goals that Congress has mandated.

Education Department Expands Probe of Universities’ Foreign Ties

The Department of Education announced last week it has opened investigations of whether Harvard University and Yale University are in compliance with a law that requires reporting foreign gifts and contracts valued at over $250,000. The department stated it is concerned the institutions may have failed to report hundreds of millions of dollars, adding that it believes Harvard “may lack appropriate institutional controls over foreign money,” citing the recent indictment of Harvard Chemistry Department Chair Charles Lieber for failing to disclose funds received through a Chinese talent recruitment program. Since last summer, the department has initiated similar investigations at six other U.S. universities, requesting detailed records about funding received from China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Summarizing preliminary findings that it submitted to Congress last November, the department stated, “These colleges and universities actively solicit foreign governments, corporations, and nationals for funds although some donors are known to be hostile to the United States and may be seeking to project ‘soft power,’ steal sensitive and proprietary research and development data and other intellectual property, and spread propaganda benefitting foreign governments.” In parallel with the investigations, the department has moved to expand the information it collects under the reporting statute, drawing objections from university associations, who maintain the move exceeds the law’s intent, could expose sensitive information, and have a chilling effect on donations.

Trump Signs Veterans in STEM Bill

On Feb. 11, President Trump signed into law the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act. The legislation directs the National Science Foundation to develop a plan to enhance its outreach efforts to veterans and requires the National Science Board to provide information relating to veterans in its Science and Engineering Indicators report. It also directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish an interagency working group that will identify and develop strategies to address barriers faced by veterans seeking to transition into STEM careers.

Mark Menezes Picked for Deputy Energy Secretary

The White House announced on Feb. 13 that President Trump intends to nominate the Department of Energy’s under secretary of energy, Mark Menezes, to be deputy energy secretary. That position has been vacant since Congress confirmed the previous holder, Dan Brouillette, to the department’s top job in December following Rick Perry’s resignation. Before joining DOE in 2017, Menezes was vice president for federal relations at the investment firm Berkshire Hathaway Energy and previously worked as an attorney in the energy sector. He also served as the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s chief counsel when Congress was developing the Energy Policy Act of 2005. As under secretary, Menezes has overseen energy policy initiatives and the department’s applied energy R&D programs.

Trump Orders GPS Resilience Efforts, Adds DOE to Space Council

President Trump issued an executive order last week that aims to prevent the disruption of critical infrastructure that relies on spaced-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services such as GPS. The order directs the Department of Commerce to develop guidelines for the “responsible use” of PNT services by both private and public sector users. Among other provisions, it also directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a national plan for R&D and testing of additional PNT services that are not dependent on global satellite navigation systems. In a separate executive order issued on Feb. 13, Trump expanded the National Space Council membership to include the secretary of energy. In a statement on his addition to the council, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette highlighted DOE’s role in producing fuel for NASA’s deep space missions.

NASA Eyes Small-Scale Missions to Venus, Io, and Triton

On Feb. 13, NASA announced it has narrowed the candidates for its next Discovery-class planetary science mission down to four finalists: the DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions to Venus, the Io Volcano Observer mission to Jupiter’s innermost moon, and the TRIDENT fly-by mission to Neptune’s icy moon Triton. NASA’s Discovery program competitively selects relatively inexpensive missions that are developed by independent teams. Each of the four finalists will receive $3 million for further work on its mission concept before NASA selects up to two next year that it will fund toward launch. In its last Discovery-class competition in 2017, NASA selected asteroid missions Lucy and Psyche, which are respectively scheduled for launch in 2021 and 2022.

Events This Week

All times are Eastern Standard Time and all congressional hearings are webcast, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.

Monday, February 17

President’s Day

Tuesday, February 18

National Academies: “Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication Research and Practice,” meeting four (continues Wednesday) National Academy of Sciences Building (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) RAND: “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Prediction, Resilience, and Recovery” 8:00 am - 12:00 pm CST, Tulane River and Coastal Center (New Orleans, LA) ITIF: “Controlling U.S. Tech Exports to China: How to Get It Right” 10:00 - 11:30 am, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation headquarters (700 K St. NW, DC) Webcast available CSIS: “Decision-making and Technology Under the Nuclear Shadow” 1:00 - 4:30 pm, Center for Strategic and International Studies headquarters (1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available

Wednesday, February 19

NSF: Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering meeting (continues Thursday) NSF headquarters (Alexandria, VA) Florida House of Representatives: Select Committee on the Integrity of Research Institutions meeting 9:00 - 11:00 am, Sumner Hall (Tallahassee, FL) Space Advocates: Panel discussion of space weather 10:00 - 11:00 am, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building Technology Transfer Society: “Case Studies in Federal Technology Transfer: Summary of a Report for NIST” 12:00 - 2:00 pm, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (1307 New York Ave., DC) CSIS: “NIST Privacy Framework Rollout” 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Center for Strategic and International Studies headquarters (1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available National Academies: “Astro2020 Panel on State of the Profession and Societal Impacts,” teleconference five 2:15 - 3:30 pm GAO: “GAO’s Foresight, S&T, Cyber, and Data Science Capabilities” 3:00 - 4:00 pm, 2168 Rayburn House Office Building MIT: “Reducing the Cost of Decarbonization Through Cutting-Edge Carbon Capture Innovation” 5:15 - 6:20 pm, Eastman Laboratory Building (Cambridge, MA) Meetup: DC Science Fiction and Policy Happy Hour 5:30 - 7:30 pm, Crimson Whiskey Bar (627 H St. NW, DC)

Thursday, February 20

CSIS: “Innovation in Storage and Battery Technologies” 8:30 - 10:30 am, Center for Strategic and International Studies headquarters (1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available House Manufacturing Caucus: “Mapping Our Way to Revitalize U.S. Manufacturing: Geological and Geospatial Data for Critical Materials” 9:30 - 10:30 am, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building UMD: “The Future of Regional Energy Innovation: A Conversation with Secretary Ernest Moniz” 9:30 - 10:30 am, University of Maryland (College Park, MD) Hudson Institute: “America’s Global Tech Leadership: A Conversation with U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios” 11:30 - 1:00 pm, Hudson Institute headquarters (1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available National Academies: “Navigating the New Arctic” 1:00 pm, Webinar AEI: “Should Universities Be More Like Corporations? A Conversation with UVA President James Ryan” 4:00 - 5:00 pm, American Enterprise Institute headquarters (1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available

Friday, February 21

National Academies: “Supporting the Black Student Experience” 9:00 - 11:00 am, Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) Webcast available Harvard Ash Center: “Science, Technology, and Democracy: Building a Modern Congressional Technology Assessment Office” 12:00 - 1:30 pm, 2044 Rayburn House Office Building

Monday, February 24

Bipartisan Policy Center: “Strengthening Transparency at EPA: Growing the Data and Evidence Culture” 10:00 - 11:30 am, BPC headquarters (1225 Eye St. NW, DC) Competitive Enterprise Institute: “Scientocracy: The Tangled Web of Public Science and Public Policy” 12:00 - 1:15 pm, 188 Russell Senate Office Building DHS: Homeland Security Advisory Council teleconference 1:00 - 2:30 pm EESI: “A Security Threat Profile of Global Climate Change” 3:30 - 5:00 pm, 2168 Rayburn House Office Building Webcast available

Opportunities

AAAS Hiring Policy Project Management Fellow

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is accepting applications for a project management position in its Office of Government Relations. The incumbent’s primary responsibilities will be to manage the Golden Goose Awards and the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy Coalition. Because the position is supported through the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows program, applicants must have a doctoral degree in the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Applications are due March 18.

Missouri S&T Policy Fellowship Now Open

The Missouri S&T Policy Initiative is accepting applications for a new program that will place fellows in Missouri legislative committees for one year, with the opportunity to extend for a second year. Applicants must hold a terminal degree in science, technology, engineering, math, medicine, or a related discipline by the start of the program in September 2020. Applications are due March 15.

NOAA Seeking Input on Ocean Research and Mapping Permitting

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking information on options for improving “the efficiency of the permitting and authorization processes for ocean research, mapping, and characterization activities that take place in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.” The input gathered will inform the implementation of a 2019 presidential memorandum on ocean mapping. Comments are due March 12.

For additional opportunities, please visit www.aip.org/fyi/opportunities. Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.