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What’s Ahead
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| Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) delivers her annual address to her state’s legislature. (Image credit – Office of Sen. Murkowski) |
Murkowski Ready to Release Energy Innovation Package
In her annual address to the Alaska State Legislature on Feb. 18, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she plans to introduce a major bipartisan energy innovation bill this week when she arrives back in Washington, D.C. As chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Murkowski has been working on the legislation for the past year, advancing a wide-ranging array of bills that will now be consolidated into a single package. Framing the new bill as a successor to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, she remarked, “From renewables to energy storage, we’re seeking to modernize our energy laws. This is something that we haven’t done now in an even dozen years, 12 long years it’s been. So this is probably the single best step that we can take in this Congress to keep energy affordable, strengthen our long-term energy security, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.” Separate from the Senate effort, the House Science Committee has been developing its own energy innovation legislation. On Wednesday, Democratic and Republican staff working on the House and Senate efforts will discuss their plans in a webinar hosted by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
Brouillette Testifying on DOE Budget Proposal
The House Appropriations Committee has begun to hold hearings on fiscal year 2021 spending, and this week it will turn its focus to the Department of Energy. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette will appear before the Energy-Water Subcommittee on Thursday, marking his first appearance before appropriators since his confirmation as energy secretary in December. Like his predecessor Rick Perry, Brouillette will face questions about the Trump administration’s proposals for cuts to the department, including a 17% cut to the Office of Science budget and steeper cuts for some of the agency’s applied energy R&D programs. Subcommittee Chair Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has already specifically called out the administration’s proposals to cut $2 billion from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and terminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy. As of Monday, DOE has posted detailed budget information for the Office of Science, EERE, grid security, and nuclear cleanup activities.
Droegemeier to Defend Trump R&D Priorities
Appearing before the House Science Committee for the first time as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Kelvin Droegemeier is testifying Thursday on President Trump’s proposed R&D budget for fiscal year 2021. The administration has largely repeated its previous calls to sharply reduce funding for non-defense R&D programs across the federal government, while promoting priority areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum information science. In a statement on the request, House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said that although it has “bright spots,” she is “deeply concerned and disappointed with the destructive cuts to important civilian R&D and science and technology programs it contains.” The hearing may also address other matters OSTP is engaged in, such as open access policy and the work of the Joint Committee on the Research Environment.
NOAA Chief Testifying on Sexual Harassment Policies
On Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing on sexual harassment at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, featuring testimony from Acting NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs. Officials from two organizations dedicated to combating sexual abuse and assault will also testify. In recent years, Congress has sought to strengthen NOAA’s anti-harassment policies following reports of harassment and abuse on the agency’s research vessels. Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) has also focused on the issue and last year called on President Trump to withdraw his original nominee to head the agency, AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers, over revelations that the company had faced widespread allegations of sexual harassment during his tenure. Myers later withdrew himself from consideration, citing health concerns. Jacobs is likely to face questions about the agency’s culture and his leadership on the issue, especially now that he has been nominated to lead the agency.
National Academies Celebrates ‘Endless Frontier’ Anniversary
The National Academies is hosting a symposium on Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the landmark report, “Science, the Endless Frontier,” which the high-ranking research administrator Vannevar Bush delivered to President Harry Truman in July 1945. Arguing that government funding for basic research was critical to U.S. interests, the report articulated a model for supporting science that led to a rapid expansion in university-based research. This week’s event will include panel discussions on topics such as the current roles of government, universities, and philanthropies in science; the relationship between research, innovation, and economic growth; and how science engages with the public. Among the participants are Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier, National Science Foundation Director France Córdova, and the presidents of several universities and science-funding philanthropic foundations.
Several National Academies Studies Shifting into Gear
Nuclear Science Advisory Committee Convenes
The Nuclear Science Advisory Committee is meeting next Monday to discuss various programmatic updates at the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation. This is the committee’s first meeting since DOE picked Brookhaven National Lab as the site for the proposed Electron-Ion Collider, a major nuclear science facility. Among other items, the committee will review its latest Committee of Visitors report assessing the internal workings of DOE’s Nuclear Physics program. Released triennially, the last report issued in 2016 offered “across-the-board praise” for the program, while identifying “critical vacancies” in the research division and encouraging greater focus on increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in physics. At the Monday meeting, the advisory committee will also discuss the findings of its sixth annual assessment of DOE’s efforts to secure a domestic supply of molybdenum-99, the parent isotope source for a widely used medical radioisotope.
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In Case You Missed It
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| White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier, center, met with publishers on Feb. 6 in the second of a new series of stakeholder meetings on open access policy. (Image credit – OSTP) |
OSTP Seeking Input on Open Access
As word of a potential executive order to increase access to federally funded research continues to reverberate across the scientific community, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a request for information on Feb. 19 that invites public comments on “approaches for ensuring broad public access to the peer-reviewed scholarly publications, data, and code that result from federally funded scientific research.” The draft executive order that has circulated within the administration reportedly would require papers arising from federally funded research to be made freely available upon publication, ending the current 12 month embargo policy. The RFI does not mention any specific policies under consideration, though it does ask how the U.S. research enterprise would benefit from having “immediate access” to federally funded publications, data, and code. In parallel with the RFI, OSTP is holding a new series of meetings with stakeholder groups. To date, OSTP has met with academic and publishing representatives, and a meeting with scientific society officials is scheduled for this week.
House Democrats Probing Investigations of Chinese Scientists
On Feb. 20, Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Judy Chu (D-CA) sent letters to the FBI and National Institutes of Health seeking details about recent investigations of scientists who are suspected of inappropriately transferring research to foreign countries, particularly China. Citing various news reports, they allege the agencies may be “targeting” ethnically Chinese scientists and ensnaring innocent individuals. Raskin chairs the Civil Rights Subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee, which has broad investigative powers, and his district is home to NIH’s headquarters. Chu chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which has worked to raise awareness about racial profiling concerns related to investigations of scientists. The letters request information on the background of all individuals under investigation by NIH and the agency’s communications with the FBI regarding those involving individuals of Chinese ethnicity. They also request a detailed breakdown of all intellectual property theft investigations conducted by the FBI from 2014 to the present as well as copies of the bureau’s communications with universities regarding “monitoring of Chinese students and scholars.” Federal officials have insisted their investigations are targeting specific unethical behaviors, not particular racial or ethnic groups.
NOAA to ‘Triple’ Computing Capacity for Weather Forecasting
On Feb. 20, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the agency will upgrade its computing capacity for operational weather forecasts with two new supercomputers to be located in Virginia and Arizona. The computers are expected to be operational by early 2022 and raise NOAA’s overall weather computing resources to 40 petaflops, which the agency states would triple its capacity, enabling higher resolution modeling. In the press release, Acting NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs identified the upgrade as a part of the administration’s effort to “put America back on top of international leadership with the best weather forecasts.” He added the new computers will help implement advancements made through NOAA’s new Earth Prediction Innovation Center. The announcement comes on the heels of the U.K. government committing to spend £1.2 billion on new supercomputing capabilities for weather and climate forecasting.
NOAA Releases S&T Focus Area Strategies
During the American Geophysical Union’s ocean sciences conference last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released new strategy documents for four science and technology focus areas. They encompass unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and ‘omics, a term referring to methods for analyzing materials such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. The strategies were developed in accord with a variety of congressional and administration directives, including the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s latest R&D priorities memorandum and the interagency National Science and Technology Council’s decadal report on oceans.
DOE Under Secretary Discusses R&D Outlook
Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar discussed DOE’s strategy for energy storage R&D at an event last week hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Describing the Energy Storage Grand Challenge the department recently announced, Dabbar said it will focus on four main thrusts: science, scaling of prototypes, workforce training, and supply chain development. Comparing it to DOE’s SunShot initiative, he said the current effort is more heavily focused on ensuring that resulting technologies will be manufactured in the U.S. He also emphasized the department’s prioritization of technology commercialization, noting that former Energy Secretary Rick Perry had urged that DOE officials have backgrounds in both the public and private sectors. More broadly, Dabbar called attention to the recent trend of budget increases provided by Congress and the proposals currently circulating for even larger infusions, saying, “It’s a really interesting time in this town.”
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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 24
Tuesday, February 25
National Academies: “Astro2020 Panel on Optical and Infrared Observations from the Ground,” meeting three (continues through Thursday) Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) Webcast available FDA: “Evolving Role of Artificial Intelligence in Radiological Imaging” (continues Wednesday) NIH headquarters (Bethesda, MD) Webcast available National Academies: “Earth Observation Technologies and Their Roles in Supporting Public Policy” 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, National Academy of Sciences Building (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Florida House of Representatives: Select Committee on the Integrity of Research Institutions meeting 1:00 pm, Sumner Hall (Tallahassee, FL) UMD: “Meeting the Energy-Climate Challenge: Science, Technology, and Policy at a Crossroads” 3:30 - 5:00 pm, University of Maryland (College Park, MD) MIT: “Economy-wide Deep Decarbonization: Beyond Electricity” 5:00 - 8:00 pm, MIT Wong Auditorium (Cambridge, MA) Webcast available GWU Space Policy Institute: “Emerging Issues in Space Governance” 6:30 - 8:45 pm, Elliott School of International Affairs (1957 E St. NW, DC)
Wednesday, February 26
DOE: Electricity Advisory Committee meeting (continues Thursday) National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (Arlington, VA) National Academies: “The Endless Frontier: The Next 75 Years in Science” 7:30 am - 6:00 pm, National Academy of Sciences (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available National Academies: “An Examination of Emerging Bioethical Issues in Biomedical Research: A Workshop” 8:30 - 5:00 pm, Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) Webcast available ASPI: “Multilateral Cooperation on Investment Policies in Critical Technologies” 8:30 - 10:30 am, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC) House: HHS budget request hearing 9:30 am, Appropriations Committee (2358-C Rayburn Office Building) CSIS: “Sustainable Development Goal #9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” 10:00 - 11:30 am, Center for Strategic and International Studies (1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available House: Hearing on the Trillion Trees Act and the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act 10:00 am, Natural Resources Committee (1324 Longworth Office Building) House: DOD budget request hearing 10:00 am, Armed Services Committee (2118 Rayburn Office Building) House: “U.S.–China Trade and Competition” 10:30 am, Ways and Means Committee (1100 Longworth Office Building) NSF: Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee teleconference 12:00 - 4:00 pm WRI: “Greening Governance Seminar Series: Connecting Global to Local in the Fight for Clean Air” 12:30 - 2:00 pm, World Resources Institute headquarters (10 G St. NE, DC) Webcast available C2ES: “Clean Energy and Climate Innovation: Opportunities for Bipartisan Progress” 1:00 - 2:00 pm, Webinar
Thursday, February 27
COGR: Council on Governmental Relations meeting (continues Friday) Washington Marriott (1221 22nd St. NW, DC) National Academies: “Space Weather Operations and Research Infrastructure Workshop Organizing Committee,” kickoff meeting (continues Friday) Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) House: “A Review of the Administration’s Federal R&D Budget Proposal” 10:00 am, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) House: Education Department budget request hearing 10:00 am, Appropriations Committee (2358-C Rayburn Office Building) House: EPA budget request hearing 10:00 am, Energy and Commerce Committee (2123 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Reauthorizing the National Apprenticeship Act: Strengthening and Growing Apprenticeships for the 21st Century” 10:15 am, Education and Workforce Committee (2175 Rayburn Office Building) Space Foundation/AAS: “Building a STEAM - CTE Workforce of the Future” 12:00 - 1:00 pm, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building House: DOE budget request hearing 2:00 pm, Appropriations Committee (2362-B Rayburn Office Building) House: GAO budget request hearing 2:00 pm, Appropriations Committee (2359 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Sexual Harassment at NOAA” 2:00 pm, Natural Resources Committee (1324 Longworth Office Building) House: “An Examination of Federal Flood Maps in a Changing Climate” 2:00 pm, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Strategic Forces Posture” 2:30 pm, Armed Services Committee (2212 Rayburn Office Building) National Academies: “Chemical Engineering: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century,” kickoff meeting 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC)
Friday, February 28
Monday, March 2
ASCE: Academic Security and Counter Exploitation Program conference (continues through Friday) Texas A&M (College Station, TX) APS: March meeting (continues through Friday) Hyatt Regency (Denver, CO) National Academies: “Astro2020 Panel on Electromagnetic Observations from Space 2,” meeting three (continues through Wednesday) Beckman Center (Irvine, CA) National Academies: “Advancing Commercialization from the Federal Laboratories Committee,” meeting four (continues Tuesday) Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) DOE: Nuclear Science Advisory Committee meeting 8:15 am - 4:00 pm, Crystal City Marriott (Arlington, VA) Webcast available Belfer Center: “Four Strategies to Address Climate Change and Reduce Damage: A Conceptual Model” 11:45 am - 1:00 pm, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
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Opportunities NSF Seeking Input on Ocean S&T Partnerships
The National Science Foundation is accepting comments on challenges and opportunities around building cross-sector partnerships in ocean science and technology. The submissions will be used to inform recommendations for increasing collaboration that will be issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Environmental Quality. Comments are due March 19.
NIH Seeking Input on Strategic Plan
The National Institutes of Health is seeking input on its agency-wide strategic plan for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. NIH is seeking input on several cross-cutting themes, such as increasing diversity, reducing health disparities, applying data science, and promoting collaborative science. The plan also sets three high-level objectives: advancing biomedical and behavioral science; developing, maintaining, and renewing scientific research capacity; and exemplifying and promoting the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science. Comments are due March 25.
Biophysics Decadal Accepting White Papers
The National Academies is accepting white papers to inform a decadal survey of advances and opportunities in biological physics. Recommended topics for comment include ways to promote interdisciplinary research partnerships, workforce development, and diversity in the field, among others. Submissions are due March 31.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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