House Science Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) convened a hearing last week to build support for his proposal to remove the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from the Commerce Department and make it an independent agency. Committee Democrats did not take a firm stance on the idea, seeking additional perspectives.
Science agencies are releasing details of President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request, which prioritizes research related to emerging technologies and climate change and includes a new emphasis on fusion energy.
The 7% budget increase USGS received for fiscal year 2023 will leave many activities proposed by the Biden administration without funding, including in climate change research and resilience. However, supplemental funding has allowed the agency to accelerate certain priority mapping initiatives.
The latest appropriation for the U.S. Geological Survey falls well short of the Biden administration’s target, but Congress also provided a major one-time supplement for critical minerals mapping through the infrastructure law. This year, the administration is seeking to deepen the agency’s role in providing climate science and decision-support services.
David Applegate, a longtime U.S. Geological Survey official who has been nominated to lead the agency, discussed critical mineral supply chains and carbon sequestration with senators at his nomination hearing last month.
House and Senate appropriators are seeking double-digit percentage budget increases for the U.S. Geological Survey for fiscal year 2022. Through the new infrastructure spending law, the agency will also soon begin receiving a total of about $500 million for critical minerals initiatives.
The special infrastructure spending legislation just approved by Congress includes around $25 billion for energy technology demonstration projects, as well as targeted budget increases for R&D programs at the Department of Energy and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) has proposed special infrastructure spending legislation that would provide billions of dollars in funding for R&D, demonstration projects, and other initiatives to promote emerging energy technologies.
The U.S. Geological Survey budget would increase a quarter to $1.64 billion under the Biden administration’s request for fiscal year 2022 in large part to support an array of climate change research, mitigation, and preparedness initiatives.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s budget is increasing 4% to $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2021, with most of the additional funding directed to geological mapping, water monitoring, and landslide hazards programs.
