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What’s Ahead
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| Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) speaks at the 2018 Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Alexander chairs the Senate subcommittee responsible for the Department of Energy’s budget, which will be included in a package of spending proposals up for consideration this week. (Image credit – DOE / Lynn Freeny) |
Senate’s DOE Spending Bill Ready for Release
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold meetings this week to consider spending bills covering the Departments of Energy and Defense and the National Institutes of Health, among other agencies. With a 4% overall increase in nondefense spending and a 3% increase in defense spending now agreed to for fiscal year 2020, many science programs are likely to receive funding boosts. The Senate’s proposal for DOE could also offer signs of whether Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who chairs the Energy-Water Appropriations Subcommittee, is pressing to implement his vision for doubling energy R&D spending over a five-year period. Senate and House appropriators will still have to reconcile their proposals, and with only weeks left in the fiscal year, stopgap funding will probably be needed to buy them more time. The House is reportedly working on a stopgap resolution that would last through late November, but Congress could complete appropriations for at least some agencies before then.
ARPA-E, Industrial Emissions Bills Set for Subcommittee Vote
The House Science Committee is holding a subcommittee meeting Wednesday to consider the ARPA–E Reauthorization Act, which would recommend multiplying the budget of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy from its current level of $366 million to $1 billion over a five-year period. It would also expand the agency’s mission beyond energy technology development to include areas such as nuclear waste cleanup and energy infrastructure resiliency. The bill currently has 22 sponsors, including one Republican, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), but the Republicans on the committee have backed a separate bill recommending smaller funding increases. The committee will also consider the Clean Industrial Technology Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored by committee member Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) that aims to incentivize R&D on emissions reduction technologies for industrial processes. Like the ARPA-E bill, the legislation currently lacks a Republican cosponsor from the Science Committee.
Senate Panel Considering Bundle of Energy R&D Bills
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a subcommittee hearing Wednesday to gather testimony on nine bills targeting various aspects of the energy sector. Among them are the Clean Industrial Technology Act, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sectors such as aviation, shipping, and cement production, and the Nuclear Energy Renewal Act, which would update policy for the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. Also on the agenda is a bill that would support training programs focused on technical skills needed for positions at DOE’s national laboratories, which face a looming workforce shortage.
High Assay Uranium Production Bill Up for House Vote
The House is scheduled to vote Monday on the bipartisan Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act, which would direct the Department of Energy to establish a program supporting domestic production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). HALEU is uranium that is enriched to contain between 5% and 20% of the highly fissile uranium-235 isotope by weight. It is required by many advanced reactor concepts and there is currently no commercially available domestic supply. DOE has already moved to kickstart HALEU production under its own authority, issuing a contract for a pilot production project earlier this year. The House passed a nearly identical version of the bill by voice vote during the last Congress.
Planetary Scientists Preparing for Upcoming Decadal Survey
The National Academies’ Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences is meeting Tuesday through Thursday this week. The agenda is focused heavily on the next planetary sciences decadal survey, which is due for release in 2022 and will set a 10-year agenda for NASA’s work in the area. Among the subjects up for discussion is how the survey will be organized, how community outreach and inclusion will be handled, when white papers will be solicited, and what lessons are to be learned from the last decadal survey. The committee will also address new questions that the survey might address, such as how to take into account the activities of commercial and philanthropic entities. Other matters that have recently been aired within the planetary science community include how NASA’s new Artemis lunar exploration program will bear on survey recommendations and whether the mid-scale New Frontiers program should continue to restrict its proposal solicitations to a selected set of destinations in the Solar System.
NSF Board Spotlighting Role of STEM Workers Without 4-Year Degrees
The National Science Board is holding a congressional briefing Thursday to highlight its new report on the importance of America’s “skilled technical workforce,” defined as individuals who use science and engineering skills in their jobs but do not have a bachelor’s degree. About 17 million workers currently fall in this category, the report states, with the U.S. facing a potential shortfall of more than 3 million such workers by 2022. The board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, recommends the agency and other leading stakeholders work to counter negative perceptions of such jobs and raise awareness about the many associated career opportunities. It also calls on NSF to conduct a portfolio assessment of its relevant programs and suggests that the agency’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics should collect data that better characterizes this segment of the workforce.
Geoengineering Workshop to Explore Governance Models
A National Academies study committee tasked with developing a research agenda for solar geoengineering is holding a workshop at Stanford University this week focused on research governance approaches. Sessions include discussion of lessons learned from research governance in other fields and perspectives from scientists and legal experts on potential governance models specific to solar climate intervention research.
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In Case You Missed It
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| President Trump displays a NOAA weather forecast altered with marker at a Sept. 4 press event. (Image credit – The White House) |
Trump Pulls Meteorologists into Political Maelstrom
Hurricane forecasting became ensnared in a White House media blowup last week when President Trump engaged in a days-long effort to justify a tweet he sent on Sept. 1 claiming that Alabama was among states that would “most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated” by Hurricane Dorian. The National Weather Service’s office in Birmingham, Alabama, quickly clarified the state would not be affected, leading Trump to insist his tweet had been correct. Then, at a Sept. 4 press event, he exhibited a forecast chart dating to Aug. 29 that had been modified in marker, reportedly by him, to include a corner of Alabama in the storm’s potential path. After the modified chart drew widespread media attention, including observations that misrepresenting government weather forecasts is illegal, Trump produced other, unaltered charts from the days preceding his original tweet showing parts of Alabama as having a low probability of seeing some effects from the hurricane. House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) was among those to criticize Trump’s conduct, writing, “In times of emergency, the American public need to have confidence in the information being provided by the White House, and misrepresentation of National Weather Service forecasts is especially disturbing when it concerns an ongoing natural disaster that has already killed twenty people.” The hurricane’s death toll has since climbed higher and is likely to continue rising. Undeterred by criticism, on Sept. 6 Trump’s re-election campaign began offering markers for sale on its website.
NOAA Rebuke of Weather Service Sets Off Wave of Protest
Late in the day on Sept. 6, the tumult surrounding the Hurricane Dorian forecast escalated into a scientific integrity scandal when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an unattributed statement backing Trump’s inclusion of Alabama in his tweet. It also criticized the Birmingham office’s clarification, stating that it “spoke in absolute terms that were inconsistent with probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time.” (The Washington Post reports that an email circulated within NOAA after the Birmingham office statement warned forecasters to “only stick with official National Hurricane Center forecasts if questions arise from some national level social media posts.”) NOAA’s public statement drew swift and widespread condemnation over the weekend. Former NOAA Administrator Kathy Sullivan told the Washington Post that it constituted “a major breach of scientific integrity that damages the NWS and stains the agency’s leadership.” Two other former administrators who served in Democratic administrations, Jane Lubchenco and James Baker, likewise denounced the statement in comments to the Post. Others condemning the statement included former NOAA chief operating officer and oceanographer of the Navy David Titley; former NOAA deputy administrator and general counsel Monica Medina; former NWS director Joe Friday; and former National Hurricane Center director Bill Read. Dan Sobien, president of the NWS employees union, called the statement “utterly disgusting and disingenuous.” The American Meteorological Society wrote in a statement, “AMS believes the criticism of the Birmingham forecast office is unwarranted; rather they should have been commended for their quick action based on science in clearly communicating the lack of threat to the citizens of Alabama.” (AMS is an AIP Member Society.) The Washington Post reported on Sept. 9 that NOAA’s acting chief scientist has opened an investigation into whether the agency’s statement violated scientific integrity policies, calling it “political” and a “danger to public health and safety.”
US Scientific Societies Warn Security Push Could Backfire
A group of 60 scientific societies sent a letter to the White House on Sept. 4 conveying “escalating concern” that current efforts to secure federally funded research against foreign malfeasance could unintentionally harm the scientific enterprise. They warn that an “overly broad” approach could jeopardize the U.S.’s ability to attract top scientists and students from around the world. “Many scientists — both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals — who properly follow codes of conduct, regulations, policies and laws, may inappropriately be harmed in response to the misconduct and illegal actions of others,” they write. The letter does not identify particular policy proposals or countries, though the government’s actions to date are primarily motivated by concerns about the Chinese government’s pursuit of advanced technological capabilities. The societies acknowledge the interagency Joint Committee on Research Environments is currently shaping science agencies’ approach to the subject and request that the panel consider a broad range of perspectives from the science and engineering community. (AIP and several of its Member Societies are signatories of the letter.)
Survey Says Public Support for Science Spending on the Rise
The fraction of U.S. adults who support increasing federal funding for science has grown appreciably over the past decade, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. Of 1,503 respondents, 52% said they would support increasing federal science funding, up from 37% in 2013, while 31% said funding should stay the same and 14% said funding should decrease. Support has grown across the political spectrum, though a significant political split that emerged in the first decade of this century remains intact. 62% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning adults surveyed in 2019 said federal science funding should increase, up from 46% in 2013, while the percentage of Republican and Republican-leaning respondents supporting increases grew from 25% to 40% over the same period.
National Science Board Reports Chart STEM Student Trends
Two reports released last week by the National Science Board offer snapshots of performance trends for K–12 and higher education in science and engineering (S&E). They are part of the board’s new approach to releasing data, publishing thematic reports to supplement the congressionally mandated S&E Indicators, which are released biennially. The K–12 report benchmarks U.S. performance on math and science test scores relative to other nations with advanced economies and explores differences between genders, races, and socioeconomic groups, finding that achievement gaps “appear as early as kindergarten and persist into middle and high school.” The higher education report highlights similarly persistent disparities in degree attainment among different segments of the U.S. population. The report also notes that, although the U.S. remains the top destination for international students, total international student enrollment declined 4% between 2016 and 2018 to 804,420. Graduate student enrollment in S&E degree fields also decreased 4% over this period to 233,600, with the number of Chinese graduate students increasing 11% to 84,480 while Indian graduate student enrollment dropped 22% to 75,010.
White House Objects to Proposal for EPA Carbon Capture Program, Favoring DOE
The Trump administration is pushing back on the Senate’s inclusion of the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act in its version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. In a Sept. 4 letter to Congress, the White House argues the bill’s stipulation that the Environmental Protection Agency create a carbon dioxide utilization program and offer financial awards for direct air capture technology projects would create “inefficiencies and overlapping authorities” between EPA and existing efforts at the Department of Energy. Instead, the White House recommends DOE lead carbon capture research and technology efforts “jointly or in consultation” with EPA.
DOE Stands Up Artificial Intelligence Office
The Department of Energy announced on Sept. 6 that it has established a new Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office to coordinate AI work across the department. DOE laboratories host many of the world’s fastest supercomputers and are already exploring a diverse range of applications for AI, including in nuclear security, cybersecurity, electrical grid resilience, energy and water resource management, materials R&D, and medicine. In August, the department signed a memorandum of understanding with the Weill Family Foundation to cooperatively pursue applications of AI in the study of neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injury.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Daylight Time and all congressional hearings are webcast, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, September 9
Tuesday, September 10
National Academies: “Research Governance Workshop for Climate Intervention Strategies that Reflect Sunlight to Cool Earth” (continues through Thursday) Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment (Stanford, CA) Webcast available National Academies: Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences meeting (continues through Thursday) Caltech (Pasadena, CA) Webcast available American Astronautical Society: Annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium (continues through Thursday) University of Alabama (Huntsville, AL) AGU: Geosciences Congressional Visits Day (continues Wednesday) Washington, DC MIT: “Task Force on the Work of the Future Report Briefing” 8:30 - 9:45 am, National Press Club (529 14th St. NW, DC) NTIA: “Spectrum Policy Symposium: Looking to America’s Spectrum Future” 8:30 am - 12:30 pm, National Press Club (529 14th St. NW, DC) Webcast available ITIF: “How the U.S. Can Maintain its Lead in the Global AI Race” 9:30 - 11:00 am, National Press Club (529 14th St. NW, DC) Webcast available Senate: Subcommittee markup of FY20 DOD spending bill 10:00 am, Appropriations Committee (192 Dirksen Office Building) House: “Growing the Clean Energy Economy” 10:00 am, Small Business Committee (2360 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Raising the Bar: Progress and Future Needs in Forensic Science” 10:30 am, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) POSTPONED -- Senate: Subcommittee markup of Labor-Health and Human Services-Education spending bill 11:30 am, Appropriations Committee (124 Dirksen Office Building) ClearPath/Battelle: “How Federal Investment is Underpinning Energy Innovation” 12:00 - 1:00 pm, 2043 Rayburn House Office Building House: “Solving the Climate Crisis: Manufacturing Jobs for America’s Workers” 2:00 pm, Climate Crisis Committee (1334 Longworth Office Building) NSB: National Science and Engineering Policy Committee teleconference 2:00 - 3:30 pm USGS Coalition: Reception Celebrating the U.S. Geological Survey 5:30 - 7:30 pm, 268 Capitol Visitor Center Golden Goose Award: Annual Ceremony and Reception 5:30 - 8:30 pm, Library of Congress (1st St. SE, DC)
Wednesday, September 11
Thursday, September 12
National Academies: “Workshop on the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education” Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) Webcast available ASU CSPO: “How to Talk About Carbon Removal” 8:30 - 10:30 am, ASU DC Center (1800 I St. NW, DC) Webcast available Senate: Markup of DOE, DOD, Labor-HHS, and State Department spending bills 9:30 am, Appropriations Committee (106 Dirksen Office Building) NSB: “The Skilled Technical Workforce: Crafting America’s Science and Engineering Enterprise” 10:00 - 11:00 am, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building Senate: “The Fight to Save Winter: Pro Athletes for Climate Action” 11:30 am, Democrats’ Climate Crisis Committee (202 Senate Visitors Center) ITIF: “Prioritizing Productivity in Federal R&D Policy to Drive Growth” 12:00 - 1:30 pm, 2167 Rayburn House Office Building AAAS: “How We Respond: Community Responses to Climate Change” 1:00 - 2:30 pm, Webinar
Friday, September 13
No events start today.
Sunday, September 15
Monday, September 16
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Opportunities AIP Seeks Applicants for State Department Fellowship
AIP is seeking applicants for its 2020-2021 State Department Fellowship program. Fellows work at the department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., for a one-year term on topics at the intersection of science, policy, and international affairs. Qualified individuals at any stage of their career are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in physics or a field closely related to the physical sciences, membership in at least one AIP Member Society, and eligibility for a security clearance, among other qualifications. Applications are due Oct. 15.
House Climate Crisis Committee Seeking Input
The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis is seeking information on climate policies from a broad range of stakeholders to support its work. The committee welcomes input on strategies for federal investment in clean energy innovation, decarbonization pathways, carbon pricing, and adaptation approaches, among other topics. Submissions are due Nov. 22.
Naval Studies Board Hiring Senior Program Officer
The National Academies’ Naval Studies Board is accepting applications for a senior program officer. The position is responsible for independently designing and managing projects for the board, which provides independent advice to the U.S. Navy. Applicants must have a master’s or doctoral degree in a relevant field, at least six years experience, and the ability to attain a security clearance.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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