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Trump picks gas executive to lead Energy Department

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Chris Wright, founder and CEO of Denver-based fracking company Liberty Energy, to be his next energy secretary. If approved by the Senate, Wright will likely be tasked with rolling back many Biden-era climate initiatives led by DOE. These include initiatives funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump has disparaged. Wright has been openly critical of federal efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, writing in an August op-ed that Vice President Kamala Harris’s proposals to achieve “net zero” emissions are “economic suicide.” Instead, Wright proposed that the Trump administration run on the message of “zero energy poverty,” with the goal of ensuring “no one would struggle to afford their utility bills” by “unleashing our vast natural resources.” He also is a vocal skeptic of climate science.

Before joining the energy industry, Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in 1985 and completed graduate work in electrical engineering at UC Berkeley and MIT. In 1992 he founded the company Pinnacle Technologies, an early player in the fracking industry, and served as its CEO until 2006. During that period, the company partnered with DOE to refine fracking technology. As head of DOE, Wright would oversee its network of 17 national labs and its sites for nuclear weapons production and environmental remediation. Trump has also selected Wright to join a forthcoming National Energy Council. In a statement announcing Wright’s nomination, Trump wrote that the council will “oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation.” Another aim of the council will be to “drive down Inflation, win the A.I. arms race with China (and others), and expand American Diplomatic Power to end Wars all across the World.”

Thune to lead Senate Republicans

Republicans elected Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as Senate majority leader last week, replacing Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who held the position for 18 years. Thune previously chaired the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee from 2015 to 2019. During that time, he was the lead Senate sponsor of the National Quantum Initiative Act and oversaw an update to the America COMPETES Act. But perhaps his most direct engagement with science policy came early in his congressional career. In 2001, as the representative for South Dakota, Thune advocated for converting the closed Homestake Gold Mine into an underground lab to support neutrino research, arguing that doing so would draw in jobs, researchers, and international partners. Efforts to secure funding for the mine became a talking point during his 2002 bid for Senate, which he narrowly lost before taking his current seat just two years later.

NIH head to appear before House appropriators

National Institutes of Health Director Monica Bertagnolli will appear before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. Republicans on the committee have proposed NIH receive $48.5 billion for fiscal year 2025, the same level as Congress provided in the previous fiscal year. Their proposal also includes a significant restructuring of the agency, consolidating the number of NIH institutes and centers from 27 to 15. The proposal was spearheaded by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who is retiring from Congress this year, but the top Republican appropriator for NIH, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), has expressed interest in pursuing her plans for NIH reform. Meanwhile, many organizations that work with NIH have opposed the proposal. Committee Democrats have argued Republicans should solicit more input before proceeding.

NIH stakeholders discussed how to respond to Republican plans for NIH reform during a meeting earlier this month of its reconstituted Scientific Management Review Board. Bertagnolli told the board the agency should be open to “thinking about what can move us forward” but also mindful not to do “more harm than good” when making changes that could cost taxpayer money. Bertagnolli also challenged the notion that merging institutes could improve collaboration, stating it would do “absolutely the opposite.”

JPL makes another round of layoffs

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory laid off 325 employees, about 5% of the lab’s workforce, last week. In a memo to staff, JPL Director Lauri Leshin attributed the layoffs to “continued funding challenges” and said that they “would be happening regardless of the recent election outcome.” Leshin said the cuts were lighter than the leadership team projected a few months ago and that they will be “the last cross-lab workforce action we will need to take in the foreseeable future.” JPL laid off around 500 employees in early February in anticipation of Congress cutting funding for the Mars Sample Return mission JPL is developing for NASA. NASA and Congress ultimately cut the mission’s annual budget by about 60% to $310 million for fiscal year 2024. The MSR budget for fiscal year 2025 remains uncertain, with the House proposing an increase to $650 million and the Senate proposing it receive at least $200 million.

GAO issues first periodic report on S&T trends

A report released last week by the Government Accountability Office flags space-based manufacturing of semiconductor crystals, gene editing, and biodegradable plastics as three technologies with the potential to have widespread impacts on American life over the next ten years. The authors emphasized that the report is not exhaustive and that they plan to periodically add more technologies that “that show signs of maturing and appear to be benefiting from improving market conditions.” The report does not recommend specific actions but raises “considerations” for policymakers. Regarding space-based semiconductor manufacturing, the report notes that national and international regulations for space-based manufacturing “may not be clear or stable,” which could undermine private investment in the technology. It also suggests that space-based manufacturing could help the U.S. reduce its dependence on foreign sources of semiconductors.

Also on our radar

• Bills that would establish an AI R&D initiative across DOE and update policy for DOE’s quantum R&D programs are set for a committee vote Tuesday.
• The director of the Defense Department’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office will testify at a hearing Tuesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee, in the wake of a similar hearing held last week by the House Oversight Committee.
• The Space Studies Board and Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies will meet Tuesday through Friday this week. During a joint session, the boards will discuss how decadal survey decision rules react to changing budget conditions, spectrum management, space weather, and the impacts of satellite constellations on astronomy.
• The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission will meet Tuesday to release its annual report, which this year will include a focus on competition in emerging technologies, among other topics.
• The White House released a strategy for advancing marine carbon dioxide removal research last week. The strategy was developed in consultation with NOAA and aims to accelerate mCDR research while laying the groundwork for regulation of the technology.

Looking for more science policy news? Follow FYI on LinkedIn.

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All events are Eastern Time unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement. Events beyond this week are listed on our website.

Monday, November 18

Acoustical Society of America: 187th meeting (continues through Friday)

Optica: 2024 Quantum Industry Summit (continues through Wednesday)

National Academies: Issues at the intersection of engineering and human rights: A symposium (continues Tuesday)

LPI: Venus Exploration Analysis Group meeting (continues Tuesday)

NSF: Exploring the ethics and societal interactions of climate intervention
11:00 am - 4:30 pm

Tuesday, November 19

National Academies: Space Studies Board and Board on Physics and Astronomy meetings (continues through Friday)

Senate: Meeting to advance the DOE Quantum Leadership Act and the DOE AI Act, among other bills
9:30 am, Energy and Natural Resources Committee

NSF: Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee meeting
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

House: Hearing on the National Institutes of Health
10:00 am, Appropriations Committee

US-China Commission: 2024 annual report to Congress
10:30 am

ITIF: How can decarbonization boost US industrial competitiveness?
11:30 am - 1:00 pm

DOE: Electricity Advisory Committee meeting
12:30 - 5:35 pm

Senate: Big hacks and big tech: China’s cybersecurity threat
2:00 pm, Judiciary Committee

Senate: Protecting consumers from artificial intelligence enabled fraud and scams
2:30 pm, Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Senate: To receive testimony on the activities of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office
4:30 pm, Armed Services Committee

National Academies: STEM innovators: Early entrepreneurship education shaping the future
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Wednesday, November 20

LPI: Outer Planets Assessment Group meeting (continues through Friday)

National Academies: Committee on Radio Frequencies fall meeting (continues Thursday)

CSIS: Report Launch: Project Atom 2024
9:30 am - 4:30 pm

New America: Sovereignty and agency in the age of AI
9:30 - 10:45 am

Senate: Meeting to advance the nomination of Matthew Marzano to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
9:45 am, Environment and Public Works Committee

Senate: A review of disaster funding needs
10:00 am, Appropriations Committee

EPA: HBCU and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council meeting
10:00 am - 4:30 pm

House: Worldwide threats to the homeland
10:00 am, Homeland Security Committee

NENSC: The role of nuclear energy in the evolving national security landscape
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

National Academies: Report release webinar: Scaling and sustaining Pre-K-12 STEM education innovations
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

House: Meeting the challenges of global brain health: Diagnosis and treatment for the 21st century
2:00 pm, Foreign Affairs Committee

UC San Diego: The role of philanthropy in science
5:00 pm PT

Thursday, November 21

National Academies: Policies, practices, and systems to retain and advance Black people in SEM workshop (continues Friday)

National Academies: China-US scientific engagement and sustainability: Food systems and sustainability workshop III (continues Friday)

ITIF: How policymakers should navigate tensions in global AI governance
9:00 - 10:00 am

Senate: Threats to the homeland
10:00 am, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

Brookings: Transitions: Planning and staffing a presidency
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Heritage Foundation: Nuclear revolution: Powering the next generation
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

AMS: Current use of AI in novel weather/climate applications
1:00 - 2:30 pm

National Academies: Artificial intelligence and the future of work: Report release webinar
1:30 - 2:30 pm

NIST: National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee meeting
2:00 - 4:30 pm

National Academies: Increasing diversity in the US ocean studies community: November committee meeting
3:00 - 5:00 pm

Friday, November 22

NASA: Biological and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee meeting
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

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

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Deadlines indicated in parentheses. Newly added opportunities are marked with a diamond.

Job Openings

◆Retraction Watch: Managing editor and staff reporter (ongoing)
NIST: Director of legislative affairs (Nov. 25)
◆National Defense University: Director, Center for Disruptive Technology in and Future Warfare (Nov. 25)
Science: Associate news editor (Nov. 30)
AIP: Congressional fellowship (Dec. 1)
◆DOE: Director, Office of Nuclear Physics (Dec. 2)
◆IEEE: Congressional fellowship (Dec. 9)
◆IEEE: Engineering and diplomacy fellowship at the State Department (Dec. 9)
Optica: Congressional fellowship (Jan. 3)
FYI: Science policy internship (Jan. 5)
STPI: Science policy fellowship (Jan. 6)
AGU: Congressional fellowship (Jan. 15)

Solicitations

◆NIH: Feedback on NIH public access compliance monitoring process for institutions (ongoing)
FAS: Call for policy ideas for new administration, Day One Project (ongoing)
DOD: RFC on rule requiring public access to results of federally funded research (Nov. 25)
EPA: RFC on new technologies for quantifying facility methane emissions (Nov. 27)
DOJ: RFC on National Institute of Justice draft public access plan (Nov. 29)
NIST: RFI on safety considerations for chemical and/or biological AI models (Dec. 3)
NIST: RFI on implementation of the National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (Dec. 9)
NSF: RFC on ethical, social, safety considerations of the merit review process (extended to Dec. 13)
USGS: RFC on draft chapters of the Biodiversity and Climate Change Assessment (Dec. 16)
◆BIS: RFC on revisions to space-related export controls (extended to Dec. 23)
◆Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Quantum Computing User Program RFI (Jan. 10)
NSF: RFC on revisions to NSF infrastructure guide (Jan. 17)

Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

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News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.

White House

Politico: Biden’s final meeting with Xi Jinping reaps agreement on AI and nukes
Research Professional: US R&D sector ‘ready to work with Trump’
Science: Research advocates see ‘no good news’ in Trump’s economic, immigration agenda
Politico: The mystery number that’s key to whether Biden’s spending survives
E&E News: White House proposes tripling US nuclear power by 2050
OSTP: White House releases report on growing US biomanufacturing capacity

Congress

SpacePolicyOnline: Two Senate space leaders call for investigation into Musk-Putin relationship
E&E News: Who will lead House energy, environment committees
Export Compliance Daily: Democratic lawmakers propose sanctions for climate harm
Politico: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) seeks to ‘reassure’ world at climate conference
E&E News: ‘We have a lot of leverage’: Dems retrench on spending
House Energy and Commerce Committee: E&C Republicans ask GAO to assess structure of CDC, FDA, and NIH lab safety offices
Roll Call: Age of biology requires American leadership (perspective by Sen. Todd Young (R-IN))
The Information: House Republicans introduce bill to end normal trade relations with China

Science, Society, and the Economy

New York Times: Scientific American editor resigns after calling some Trump supporters ‘fascists’
Science: Science is neither red nor blue (editorial)
Pew Research Center: Americans’ trust in scientists in 2024 (report)
China Daily: Draft revision to boost science popularization
South China Morning Post: Nationalistic Chinese bloggers warned over costs of shouting down scientists
The Conversation: As the Taurid meteor shower passes by Earth, pseudoscience rains down – and obscures a potential real threat from space (perspective by Mark Boslough)
New York Times: It’s the perfect moment to search for intelligent alien life (perspective by Douglas Vakoch)
IEEE Spectrum: Predictions from IEEE’s 2024 technology megatrends report

Education and Workforce

Washington Post: Trump pledged to close the Education Department. What would that mean?
Washington Post: Howard University likely to earn highest research status, only HBCU to do so
Federation of American Scientists: Strengthening the National Labs’ workforce
Physics World: Trailblazer: Astronaut Eileen Collins reflects on space, adventure, and the power of lifelong learning (audio interview)
The Conversation: Poor teacher training partly to blame for stalled engineering diversity goals (perspective by Lisa Bosman)

Research Management

ScienceInsider: Open-access journal elife will lose its ‘impact factor’ over controversial publishing model
Research Professional: Draft EU AI code sets out research rights and risks
Nature: Can AI review the scientific literature — and figure out what it all means?
Research Professional: Science Europe plans ‘systemic change’ in research sustainability
NIH: Update on linking ORCID to implement persistent identifier requirements while reducing burden and improving transparency
Undark Magazine: Living in the age of risky science
Nature: Why we need a body to oversee how science is used by governments (book review)

Labs and Facilities

Nature: Can robotic lab assistants speed up your work?
Construction Physics: The influence of Bell Labs
NASA: NASA Johnson invites proposals to lease vibration test facility
Oak Ridge National Lab: DOE awards $88.8 million contract to build Stable Isotope Production and Research Facility
The Guardian: Curious case of the missing monkeys turns spotlight on South Carolina lab

Computing and Communications

Financial Times: TSMC secures $11.6 billion in funding as CHIPS Act faces uncertain future
Export Compliance Daily: Commerce letter orders TSMC to halt certain China shipments, report says
Export Compliance Daily: Trump likely to explore expanding export controls over chip tools, analysts say
Wired: The great American microchip mobilization
FedScoop: Trump likely to scale back AI policy with repeal of Biden order
Brookings: AI policy directions in the new Trump administration
Science: The metaphors of artificial intelligence (perspective by Melanie Mitchell)
HPCwire: NIST issues draft post quantum cryptography transition strategy and timeline

Space

SpaceNews: NASA faces disruptive presidential transition
NASA OIG: 2024 report on NASA’s top management and performance challenges (report)
NASA: Telescope for NASA’s Roman mission complete, delivered to Goddard
Scientific American: Ending NASA’s Chandra will cut us out of the high-resolution X-ray universe (perspective by María Arias)
NASA: NASA’s EMIT will explore diverse science questions on extended mission
NASA: NASA welcomes Denmark as newest Artemis Accords signatory
SpaceNews: A step forward in space export control reform (perspective by Jeff Foust)
American Nuclear Society: UMich leads Space Force institute on hybrid nuclear power and propulsion concept

Weather, Climate, and Environment

E&E News: NOAA staff stress over return of Trump climate hostility
NASA: NASA awards contract for NOAA’s space weather program
New York Times: Could Trump’s return pose a threat to climate and weather data?
Politico: Kristi Noem rejected climate change and money to fight it
Research Professional: ‘A new low’: Scientists slam UN climate change conference
Politico: Soaring temperatures to set new global heat record, surpassing last year’s mark
E&E News: CO2 well backlog awaits Zeldin at EPA

Energy

E&E News: Trump may end Biden’s ‘green’ hydrogen dream
World Nuclear News: Japan launches FAST fusion project
Fusion Industry Association: A new commercial model to unlock fusion energy
GAO: Clean energy: New DOE office should take steps to improve performance management and workforce planning (report)
E&E News: Nvidia executive says electricity barriers threaten America’s AI leadership
E&E News: Musk gains vast new EV power — and scrutiny

Defense

Axios: Anthropic, feds test whether Claude AI will share sensitive nuclear info
DefenseScoop: Sec. Austin heads to the Pacific with a focus on accelerating emerging tech
DOD: DOD examining unidentified anomalous phenomena
Breaking Defense: GREMLIN, but no aliens: Pentagon UAP office plans first deployment of new sensor suite
Breaking Defense: Pentagon invests another $160 million from CHIPS Act to boost semiconductor manufacturing

Biomedical

Stat: Trump’s pick of RFK Jr. at HHS: The scientific community, and biopharma investors, respond
Stat: Facing a dialogue with RFK Jr., a top FDA official mounts a public defense of vaccines
The Guardian: ‘It is a pandemic’: UK’s envoy on superbugs says scale of threat underestimated
BBC News: Nuclear medicine isotope shortage will lead to cancer deaths

International Affairs

ScienceInsider: Canada should sharply curtail research collaborations with China, lawmakers say
E&E News: China must now lead global climate fight, UN climate chief says
Bloomberg: OpenAI says US allies should partner on AI to take on China
Science|Business: Trump victory triggers uncertainty over transatlantic relations in AI
Nikkei Asia: China to tighten export curbs on critical metals ahead of Trump’s return
Science|Business: Commissioner designate Virkkunen moots EU quantum act
Physics World: EU must double its science budget to remain competitive, warns report
Research Professional: ‘Significant risks’ found for EU public-private R&I partnerships
Research Professional: Dutch university hails ‘mega boost for chip technology’