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What’s Ahead
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| House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is expected to become speaker of the House in January if Republicans gain a majority of seats in the chamber in this week’s election. (Image credit – Office of Rep. McCarthy) |
Next Steps in Science Policy Hinge on Midterm Election
Pollsters believe Republicans have strong chances to win control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections on Tuesday. A shift in power in either chamber would end the Biden administration’s ability to implement its priorities through partisan spending packages like the Inflation Reduction Act. For their part, Republicans have pledged to rein in federal spending, potentially dampening the prospect of Congress meeting the ambitious budget targets set by the CHIPS and Science Act. Those targets do have bipartisan support, including from Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), the presumptive chair of the House Science Committee under Republican control, but a hostile political environment could always overwhelm the party’s intentions in science policy. Republican leadership of either chamber would also give the party new power to scrutinize the Biden administration and press for its policy priorities. As part of their “Commitment to America” policy platform, House Republicans have stated they will seek to implement new research security measures and investigate the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as part of a focus on China.
If Republicans win control of the Senate, it will become more difficult for President Biden to fill positions requiring confirmation. Although most science leadership positions across agencies are now filled, there are currently some high-profile vacancies, including the director of the National Institutes of Health, as well as leaders for the Department of Energy’s new infrastructure arm, its offices for renewable energy and electricity, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy. Should the Senate switch hands, processing nominations will be a clear priority for Democrats in November and December, and science policy positions will compete with positions in other agencies and judgeships for floor time. There is not yet a nominee for the NIH job, making it less likely one will be confirmed before the new Congress convenes in January. Appropriations legislation and the annual National Defense Authorization Act are also awaiting action once Congress returns after the election, with the former particularly subject to additional negotiation in the event Republicans win control of either or both of the House and Senate.
Annual UN Climate Conference Begins
This year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, is kicking off this week in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, drawing leaders from more than 190 countries to negotiate steps toward meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Since last year’s conference, the U.S. has dramatically scaled up clean-energy and climate-resilience initiatives, particularly through a $370 billion package of tax incentives and grants included in the Inflation Reduction Act. The Biden administration hopes U.S. actions will spur on other nations and is urging world leaders to expand their climate pledges to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degree Celsius within reach. However, this year’s negotiations are complicated by an energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine, and some nations are turning to fossil fuel subsidies to help reduce rising energy costs. Developing nations are also pressing richer countries, including the U.S., to honor commitments to help them reduce carbon emissions.
The U.S. is hosting a variety of events at the conference, including a keynote session on Tuesday at which senior White House officials will discuss an “all-of-society approach to meeting U.S. climate goals.” On Thursday, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Deputy Director for Climate and Environment Jane Lubchenco will discuss ocean-based climate actions at a UN Foundation event, and OSTP Deputy Director for Energy Sally Benson will join a panel discussion on science advice and the transition to clean energy. Other events this week include sessions on mobilizing private and public investments in climate infrastructure and decarbonization, presentations on NASA’s efforts to address climate change, and a discussion with senators on challenges and opportunities for addressing climate change in the next Congress.
Artemis I Mission and JPSS-2 Weather Satellite on Launch Pad
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket has returned to its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after fueling problems and Hurricane Ian forced the agency to abandon earlier launch attempts. This will be the first-ever launch of the rocket, which will propel NASA’s Orion crew vehicle on the uncrewed Artemis I test mission around the Moon, paving the way for a subsequent crewed flight and ultimately a crewed lunar landing mission. NASA successfully fueled the rocket just before it had to be rolled back indoors for the hurricane and the agency is hopeful the way is clear for a launch just after midnight on Nov. 14 or during other opportunities later next week. On the other side of the country, at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, an Atlas V rocket is ready to carry the JPSS-2 weather satellite into orbit on Thursday. JPSS-2 is part of the latest generation of polar-orbiting satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and will take the name NOAA-21 once it is in space. JPSS-1 launched in 2017 and is operating as NOAA-20. Sharing a ride with JPSS-2 is LOFTID, a technology demonstration of an inflatable heat shield that could permit the launch of larger payloads that are intended to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere or land on another planetary body with an atmosphere.
Gina Rameika Takes Helm of DOE High Energy Physics Program
Neutrino physicist Gina Rameika begins her tenure as head of the Department of Energy’s Office of High Energy Physics (HEP) this week. Rameika is joining DOE after four decades at Fermilab, where she held a variety of leadership positions, including most recently as co-spokesperson of the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, one of the HEP office’s top priorities. She is taking over the role with the research community anticipating next year’s completion of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) report, the first update to the office’s most important planning document since 2014. The office’s previous director, Jim Siegrist, oversaw the department’s response to the 2014 P5 report and timed his retirement to allow his successor to guide DOE’s response to the new one. The P5 process will draw on several inputs, including conclusions from this summer’s Snowmass workshop and the National Academies decadal survey for the field, which kicked off in June and is holding its second meeting this Wednesday.
Academies Convening Research Security Workshop
The National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable of the National Academies is hosting a two-day public workshop starting next Monday. Topics to be addressed include “open science and technology research as a critical value and asset; global scientific engagement and attracting foreign talent; benefit and risk assessment of international research collaboration; research security in the context of open science; and fostering cooperation between the scientific research and security communities.” Roundtable members will moderate a series of panels, including Los Alamos National Lab Director Thom Mason, who is discussing the benefits and challenges of international research collaborations with vaccine scientist James Crowe, systems biologist Leroy Hood, and particle physicist Patricia McBride, who is the spokesperson for the CMS experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will deliver a keynote address.
PCAST to Offer Blueprint for Biomanufacturing
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is holding a meeting on Wednesday, where they will vote on a report on advanced biomanufacturing. The Biden administration has recently increased its focus on the topic, launching a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative in September that aims to accelerate R&D, strengthen biosecurity, and bolster supply chains across related sectors. This week’s meeting also includes sessions with experts from federal agencies and think tanks on cyber resilience and the financial impacts of extreme weather.
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In Case You Missed It
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| DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geri Richmond spoke at an event at Argonne National Lab on Nov. 4, at which Biden administration officials applauded the distribution of Inflation Reduction Act funds to national lab projects and announced the new “Net Zero Game-Changers Initiative.” (Image credit – DOE) |
DOE Office of Science Allocates Inflation Reduction Act Funds
The Department of Energy Office of Science announced last week it has allocated the $1.55 billion it received through the Inflation Reduction Act to 52 projects and facilities that span much of its portfolio. The funding will variously be used to advance schedules, fill budget gaps, and prepare for future construction. Recipients include:
- ITER international fusion energy R&D facility ($256 million)
- High-performance computing facilities ($164 million)
- Electron-Ion Collider ($138 million)
- LBNF/DUNE neutrino project ($125 million)
- Large Hadron Collider luminosity upgrade ($106 million)
- Advanced Light Source brightness upgrade ($97 million)
- Linac Coherent Light Source II energy upgrade ($96 million)
- Stable Isotope Production and Research Center ($75 million)
- Spallation Neutron Source Second Target Station ($43 million)
Some smaller projects have also received significant boosts relative to their total cost, such as the MOLLER experiment at Jefferson Lab and the Gamma Ray Energy Tracking Array and High Rigidity Spectrometer being built for Michigan State University’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. Projects in their earliest stages that are receiving additional funds include the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 experiment and three prospective ton-scale neutrinoless double beta decay experiments.
Administration Targets Decarbonization ‘Game-Changers’
On Nov. 4, the Biden administration launched the “Net Zero Game-Changers Initiative,” an effort to develop technology pathways leading to the total elimination of net carbon emissions in the U.S. by 2050. The initiative’s centerpiece is five priority technology areas identified by an interagency task force and described in an accompanying report: “efficient building heating and cooling net-zero aviation; net-zero power grid and electrification; industrial products and fuels for a net-zero, circular economy; and fusion energy at scale.” Those priorities were chosen from a broader list of 37 R&D opportunities also presented in the report. The Department of Energy has already been focusing effort on achieving clean-energy objectives through its Energy Earthshots Initiative, which target cost and performance objectives in the 2035 timeframe, while climate measures in the Inflation Reduction Act are mainly focused on deployment of established technologies. By contrast, the game-changers initiative takes a longer view, concentrating on the most difficult decarbonization challenges.
Psyche Problems Spur Reckoning at JPL, Push Back Venus Mission
Last week, NASA released the findings of an independent review board it convened in June after determining its Psyche mission would miss its August launch date. The mission is now scheduled to launch next October and its expected arrival date at its destination, a metallic asteroid, has slipped from 2026 to 2029. The board determined that the proximate cause of the delay, a failure to deliver navigation software on time, was symptomatic of larger staffing and management problems throughout Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is leading the mission. The board points to the number of projects the lab is managing as having stretched personnel too thin. It also argues that degraded internal communications and management oversight had left engineering problems unaddressed, noting that the issue was exacerbated by remote work practices instituted during the pandemic. The board concludes, “Corrective actions are urgently needed, and failure to act will result in more ‘Psyches’ and potentially in-flight failures.” JPL Director Laurie Leshin, who took on her role in May, vowed to continue implementing reforms already in progress. To alleviate staffing shortages, NASA has elected to push back the target launch date of VERITAS, a JPL-managed Venus orbiter, from December 2027 to “no earlier than 2031.” (Last week, FYI incorrectly identified Psyche as a mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program; it is part of the Discovery program.)
FCC Satellite Approval Activities in Flux
Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced on Nov. 3 that the agency plans to spin off its regulatory activities for satellites from its International Bureau into a new Space Bureau and to rename the existing bureau as the Office of International Affairs. She said the move is intended to respond to the rapid expansion of the satellite industry, pointing out that the agency has received applications for 64,000 new satellites in the last two years. Separately, the Government Accountability Office released a report on Nov. 2 that recommends FCC reexamine its licensing process for large satellite constellations. The agency does not currently require operators to submit environmental impact statements when applying for satellite licenses, but GAO found that it has “not sufficiently documented” its decision to exclude them from National Environmental Policy Act requirements. Although satellites’ location in space means they do not have environmental impacts as they are often imagined, their current and planned proliferation has raised significant concerns about the effects of the light they reflect, their contribution to orbital debris, and emissions from their launches.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, November 7
Tuesday, November 8
Wednesday, November 9
Thursday, November 10
Friday, November 11
No events.
Saturday, November 12
Sunday, November 13
Monday, November 14
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Opportunities American Astronomical Society Hiring Policy Fellow
The American Astronomical Society is accepting applications for its John N. Bahcall Public Policy Fellowship, which provides early-career astronomers the opportunity to engage in the federal policymaking process and contribute to the society’s advocacy activities. Applications are due Dec. 16.
Nuclear Threat Reduction Coalition Seeking Fellows
The Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction is seeking candidates for a one-year early-career fellowship program. Fellows will develop a policy memo on a current nuclear weapons issue, engage in public outreach, and participate in other professional development activities. Applications are due Nov. 30.
New NSF Technology Directorate Hiring for Multiple Roles
The National Science Foundation is seeking to fill multiple program director positions within its new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. Positions require an advanced degree in a STEM field and at least six years of related experience in research, research administration, or program management. Application deadlines vary.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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