A major weather research bill that will be considered on the House floor this week would authorize a tornado warning improvement program aimed at reducing the loss of life and property from tornadoes, among many other provisions.
(Image credit - NOAA)
The House is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a major weather research and forecasting bill that the Senate passed by unanimous consent last week. Among its many provisions, the bill would authorize a comprehensive program of weather research and technology transfer, a new seasonal prediction program, and a commercial weather data pilot project, all at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The bill has been in the works since 2013 and has alternated back and forth between the House and Senate in recent months. In the latest iteration, the Senate added a few new provisions , but did not include the controversial study of water allocation in a southeastern river basin that reportedly sunk the bill’s prospects in the previous Congress.
On Tuesday, the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “National Water Hazards & Vulnerabilities: Improved Forecasting for Response & Mitigation.” The witnesses will be Louis Uccellini, director of the National Weather Service; Antonio Busalacchi, president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; Mary Glackin, senior vice president for public-private partnerships at The Weather Company; and Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
On Tuesday, the Defense Innovation Board will hold its first meeting since President Trump took office. At its previous meeting on Jan. 9, the board approved 11 recommendations for the Department of Defense. During the public portion of this week’s meeting, the board will hear from its Science and Technology Subcommittee and discuss a potential 12th recommendation pertaining to the establishment of a repository for data collection, sharing, and analysis.
A White House Office of Management and Budget document obtained by various news outlets last week details funding cuts the Trump administration would like Congress to immediately enact in appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2017. The administration proposes that cuts to R&D programs account for over $3 billion of a requested total of $18 billion in reductions in non-defense discretionary spending. Applied R&D programs would be hit particularly hard. Several Republican congressional leaders, though, have expressed little enthusiasm for incorporating the proposed cuts in FY17 appropriations legislation.
On mostly party-line votes, the House passed two bills to alter the Environmental Protection Agency’s process for considering scientific findings—the “Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment (HONEST) Act” and the “EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act” . Prior to the vote, a number of scientific societies expressed concerns about the “HONEST Act,” which would require EPA to make publicly available online all scientific inputs to its regulatory decisions, including research data. The Congressional Budget Office posted its analysis of the bill after the vote, concluding that its cost could vary considerably depending on how EPA decides to implement the legislation.
By a vote of 395-11, the House passed the “Pacific Northwest Earthquake Preparedness Act,” which contains provisions to improve scientific understanding of earthquakes and tsunamis produced by Cascadia Subduction Zone. A 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning article in the New Yorker drew widespread public attention to the threat of a large earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the region.
President Trump signed an executive order on March 28 to initiate the dismantlement of climate regulations and activities implemented during the Obama administration. The order directs the EPA to “suspend, revise, or rescind” the Clean Power Plan which regulates greenhouse gases from power plants; to seek a new estimate for the social cost of carbon; and to rescind guidance that climate change must be incorporated into reviews conducted under the National Environmental Protection Act. The order is silent on continued U.S. involvement in the Paris climate agreement, which is a decision now expected to take some additional months.
The House Science Committee held a hearing on March 29 dedicated to the methodology of climate science. Witnesses and committee members traded barbs over whether the scientific consensus in the field is valid. Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) also used the event to articulate his view of what constitutes sound scientific method, saying that no legitimate science can issue predictions of what will happen a century or more ahead. The hearing builds on the committee majority’s growing interest in scrutinizing scientific methodology.
President Trump issued a memorandum on March 27 establishing the White House Office of American Innovation, to be headed by Jared Kushner, his son-in-law. The new office will make recommendations to the president on how to “improve Government operations and services, improve the quality of life for Americans now and in the future, and spur job creation.” The memo indicates that the office will consult with the Office of Science and Technology Policy. A White House official has said that the administration is still reviewing candidates for OSTP director and will make an announcement soon.
Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office on March 28 requesting a review of agency progress in implementing policies to increase public access to federally funded research. Agencies that fund over $100 million in R&D per year developed public access plans in response to a 2013 directive from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. OSTP’s latest update to Congress on this process and links to the agency plans are available here . Johnson, who is the ranking member of the House Science Committee, indicated at a recent hearing that she once again hopes to advance the “Public Access to Public Science Act,” which she co-sponsored with Sensenbrenner in each of the past two Congresses.
On March 28, Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Gary Peters (D-MI) announced on the formation of the Senate Chemistry Caucus. The caucus will provide a forum for senators on both sides of the aisle to work on issues dealing with chemistry, including the chemical industry and its importance to in the domestic economy. Other members who have agreed to join include Sens. John Boozman (R-AR), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Joe Manchin (D-WV).
On March 28, the Optical Society announced the formation of the International Photonics Advocacy Coalition (IPAC), which will bring together experts from government, academia, and industry to advance knowledge of photonics technologies, educate policymakers, and advocate for optics and photonics initiatives and funding. IPAC’s initial foci will be on global environmental measurement and monitoring technologies and quantum science and technology.
Monday, April 3 Space Foundation: 33rd Space Symposium
(continues through Thursday)
The Broadmoor (Colorado Springs, CO)
American Chemical Society: 253rd Annual Meeting
(started Sunday and continues through Thursday)
Moscone Center (San Francisco, CA)
Navy League: Sea-Air-Space 2017
(continues through Wednesday)
Gaylord National Convention Center (National Harbor, MD)
National Academies: “Next Generation Researchers Initiative” study meeting
8:00 am – 2:00 pm, National Academy of Sciences building (2100 C St. NW, DC)
Tuesday, April 4 Defense Innovation Board: Federal Advisory Committee meeting
Open session: 9:00 – 11:00 am, The Pentagon (Arlington, VA)
Members of the public must have an escort if they do not have Pentagon credentials
Atlantic Council: “Keeping America’s Innovative Edge”
1:00 – 2:30 pm, Atlantic Council (1030 15th St. NW, DC)
Former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is the keynote speaker
Webcast available
ADDED -- AAAS: “Engaging Congress on Science Policy”
2:00 pm, Live chat
Senate: “National Water Hazards & Vulnerabilities: Improved Forecasting for Response & Mitigation”
2:30 pm, Appropriations Committee (192 Dirksen Office Building)
Webcast available
Wednesday, April 5 American Energy Innovation Council: “Partners in Ingenuity: The Power of Innovation”
10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Bipartisan Policy Center (1225 I St. NW, DC)
Former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine and DOE Critical Materials Institute Director Alex King are among the speakers
Thursday, April 6 NASA/DOI: Interagency Forum on Climate Change Impacts & Adaptations
1:00 – 4:00 pm, Webcast
Hazards Caucus Alliance: “Watching the World: Saving Lives Through Hazards Mapping and Monitoring”
2:00 – 3:00 pm, Capitol Visitor Center, Room 200
RSVP to Danielle Woodring
by April 4
Friday, April 7 CSIS: “Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland”
9:00 – 11:30 am, CSIS (1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC)
Webcast available
Monday, April 10 National Academies: “Supporting English Learners in STEM Subjects”
inaugural study meeting (continues Tuesday)
Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC)
The American Geophysical Union is accepting applications for a summer intern in their Public Affairs Office. Applicants with at least two years of academic experience in earth or space sciences are encouraged to apply soon, as the start date is May 1.
The National Academies is seeking nominations for new members of the Polar Research Board. The Board provides expert advice to the federal government on Arctic and Antarctic issues. Nominations are due April 28, and are accepted from individuals with experience across the physical and social sciences, engineering, and policy.
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