Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
february 2015
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Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee: DOE FY 2016 budget hearing
February 12, 2015
On February 12, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to discuss the fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget proposal for the Department of Energy (DOE). The President’s budget requests $30 billion dollars for DOE.
Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz answered questions about the aging electrical grid, coal-based power, and nuclear waste. He highlighted recent DOE successes such as DOE-funded research in oil and natural gas contributing to the overall abundance and low prices of the commodity. Secretary Moniz also praised the increases in funding for energy innovation and efficiency standards in the President’s FY 2016 budget.
Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) expressed concern over carbon sequestration rules, which the Senators deem prohibitively expensive at this point. Members were also concerned that the proposed budget goes against previously set spending levels and creates a perceived disparity between the amount of funding on renewable energy sources and on fossil fuels. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) articulated the importance of funding nuclear waste cleanup. Secretary Moniz testified to DOE’s continuing work on ensuring safer disposal of nuclear waste and the importance of having community consent for the movement and storage of nuclear waste.
Senators also asked about the state of the aging electric grid. Secretary Moniz explained that DOE is working to get better data to use in decision making. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, DOE was able to replace electric grid infrastructure in key transport corridors with micro grids to reinforce the grid resilience and stability in case of future extreme weather.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee: DOI FY 2016 budget hearing
February 24, 2015
On February 24, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the President’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for the Department of the Interior (DOI). Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Deputy Secretary Mike Connor answered senators’ questions regarding several of the President’s FY 2016 priorities, including natural gas on public lands, coal royalties, and water resources.
During the hearing Secretary Jewell addressed whether federal or state law would take precedence for regulating hydraulic fracturing on federal lands, testifying that the federal rules are meant as a baseline. In states with stronger hydraulic fracturing regulations, those rules take precedence over federal rules. Jewell emphasized the agency’s support for oil and natural gas development on federal lands, explaining the importance of funding for inspections to allow the permitting process to move faster. Jewell also expressed interest in creating more gas gathering lines on federal lands to help prevent flaring and venting of natural gas.
Conversely, Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) raised concerns over coal royalties on public lands where companies can lease land for $1, while the federal government incurs $70 in costs of cleaning up after coal mining.
In addition, The Land & Water Conservation Fund is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Senator Wyden praised the FY 2016 budget proposal to fully fund that program, and the provision of $58 million dollars for WaterSMART’s work particularly in addressing drought.
This hearing was the first in a series of hearings that will examine the President’s FY 2016 budget request before Congress submits their own proposals later this spring.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee: USFS FY 2016 budget hearing
February 26, 2015
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing to examine the President’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) on February 26. USFS Chief Thomas Tidwell answered senators’ questions regarding wildfire suppression funding, timber sales, and recreation permits in national forests, among other things.
Many senators and Mr. Tidwell expressed support for proposed updates to wildfire suppression funding. Under current law, suppression costs for all wildfires, even catastrophic ones, come out of the USFS budget. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Wildfire Disaster Funding act of 2015 (S.235) to help remedy the drain that the small number of catastrophic fires places on the USFS budget. The legislation would alter the funding structure so that suppression costs for roughly 99 percent of fires would still come from the USFS budget, but suppression for the one percent of fires that prove catastrophic would come from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voiced support for the primary goal of the legislation, but expressed concern about the mechanics.
Source: Congress.gov, E&E News
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee: NSF, NIST FY 2016 budget hearing
February 27, 2015
On February 27, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on the President’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for both the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Witnesses testifying at the hearing included NSF Director France Córdova, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Director Dan Arvizu, and NIST Acting Director Willie May.
Córdova testified about NSF’s new communication strategies, which were crafted to add clarity to the merit review process. These strategies include creating clearer proposal titles and abstracts including additional, non-technical descriptions on the impact of proposed research and how it contributes to the national interest. Córdova explained that the changes may take time as the new policies require culture change and NSF receives a large number of proposals that must be processed, but improvements are already underway. Recently, NSF revised manuals and began new training for program officers. Córdova reinforced that important projects may have obscure titles, and it is important for NSF to make their worth apparent. For example, Google originally came from a project titled ‘BackRub’.
Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) expressed his appreciation for the new, clearer communication and non-technical descriptions and asked if NSF would approve of language in the Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology Act of 2014 (H.R.4186), or FIRST Act, which was introduced in the 113th Congress. Córdova agreed NSF was in line with and approved of FIRST Act language. Dr. Arvizu stated his support for the goals of the FIRST Act and said that what he has seen of the language so far is appropriate.