Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
november 2014

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congress

Leadership changes in the 114th Congress

November 4, 2014

Midterm congressional elections took place on Tuesday, November 4, resulting in a number of committee leadership changes for both Democrats and Republicans.  The incoming Senate, which previously held a Democratic majority, will be controlled by Republicans, and the Republicans also increased their majority in the House of Representatives. The new majority within the Senate means that across the board changes to committee leadership are imminent in the 114th Congress.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (ENR): Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will replace Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) as chair of ENR. Sen. Landrieu lost her bid for reelection in a December 6 runoff against Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Consequently, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is expected to replace Sen. Landrieu as ranking member of the committee.

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (CST): Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is expected to take over the chairmanship from Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) for the Science and Space Subcommittee within CST. The Space and Science Subcommittee oversees federal science research funding. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) will take over from Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) as chair of the full CST committee.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW): Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) is likely to transition from ranking member of EPW to chair of the full committee. Former chair, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), is expected to stay on the committee as ranking member.

Senate Appropriations Committee: Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) will likely take over as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in the 114th Congress. Current Ranking Member Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is expected to transition to the Senate Banking Committee. Former Appropriations Chair Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) will transition to Ranking Member of the committee.

House Natural Resources Committee: Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, will retire at the end of the 113th Congress, leaving a key vacancy for Republicans. Additionally, Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is expected to relinquish his role on the Natural Resources Committee in favor of the ranking member position on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) will take over from Rep. Hastings, and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) will take over from Rep. DeFazio.

Sources: House Natural Resources Committee, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senate Appropriations Committee

House passes three bills concerning EPA science and regulations

November 20, 2014

The House passed three bills the week of November 17 regarding the science that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses to issue environmental regulations. The bills attempt to change to how EPA reviews scientific data and how it issues permits.

The first piece of legislation, H.R. 1422, concerns EPA’s Science Advisory Board. The bill would mandate a quota to increase the number of state and local officials on the board, allow members of industry to serve if they disclose financial conflicts of interests, and limit participation by academics who have previously received EPA funding. Critics object that the measure would prohibit the most knowledgeable researchers from serving on the board and increase the role of corporate interests, hampering the board’s ability to perform its intended role. Proponents argue that the legislation is necessary to adjust biases in the board’s current makeup.

The second bill, H.R. 4012, is aimed at the “secret science” behind current EPA regulations. It stipulates that all data the agency uses to inform its policies must be publicly available in reproducible form. The bill’s supporters contend that this will increase transparency in EPA regulation. However, many within the scientific community and some Democrats object strongly because peer-reviewed studies often use confidential health information that cannot be released without violating federal law. Critics also argue that this legislation would prohibit the EPA from using the best available science, undermining its ability to effectively regulate.

The third measure, H.R. 4795, is designed to expedite the permitting process for new industrial facilities by exempting companies from abiding by new National Ambient Air Quality Standards if final regulations and implementation guidelines are not issued concurrently with the standard.

The White House has threatened to veto these bills if they pass the Senate and go to the President for signature.

Sources: Congress.gov, E&E News