Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
march 2015
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budget
Senate Commerce, Science, Transportation Subcommittee Holds Hearing on NASA's Budget
March 12, 2015
On March 12, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Science, Space, and Competitiveness held a hearing to review the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request for NASA. The Honorable Charles Bolden, Administrator of NASA, answered senators’ questions about the current and future focus of NASA and its missions.
Senator Cruz expressed a desire for NASA to focus on space exploration. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) echoed his sentiment. Bolden replied that NASA’s missions are synergistic and multiple facets play into space exploration, including ground-based infrastructure and earth and solar sciences that would inform when and how space exploratory missions are launched. He explained that federal agencies rely on NASA for satellites and instrumentation and stated that NASA does not give opinions or make decisions but provides data.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) spoke on the importance of balanced funding in NASA’s budget. Senator Peters highlighted the importance of financing the Aeronautics Directorate and Senator Nelson stated his support for increasing funding for both Earth science and space exploration.
Bolden stated that under the current FY 2016 proposal, NASA would still be on track to extend the International Space Station (ISS) until 2024, and the U.S. would no longer be reliant on transportation to the ISS on the Russian Soyuz by 2017.
Updated 4/6/15
March 18, 2015
On March 18, The House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee met to discuss the President’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Honorable Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Administrator of NOAA, answered representatives’ questions about NOAA satellite projects, coastal resilience, and hurricane research.
Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson (R-TX) and Ranking Member Chaka Fattah (D-PA) raised concerns over the potential weather satellite coverage gap prior to the launch and calibration of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Dr. Sullivan testified that NOAA has done its utmost to mitigate the potential gap, and JPSS is on track to launch in January 2017. NOAA anticipates a gap of between 12 and 42 months where satellite weather data may not be available. Dr. Sullivan highlighted the need for funding for the Polar Follow On program, investing in the future of the JPSS series in order to ensure data continuity and prevent future gaps in data.
Dr. Sullivan addressed the need for funding for NOAA’s fleet of research vessels and described its vital work maintaining operation of NOAA’s Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis buoys (DART). NOAA will have to retire half of its current fleet by 2020 due to aging vessels.
Source: NOAA
House Natural Resources subcommittee holds hearing on proposed USGS FY 2016 budget
March 24, 2015
On March 24, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request. Dr. Suzette Kimball, Acting Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), answered representatives’ questions about community resilience, earthquake early warning, LANDSAT, and mineral assessments.
Chairman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) expounded on the need for USGS to share its data and for that data to be available for states, particularly in the wake of disasters and during rebuilding. Chairman Lamborn also stated his interest in introducing legislation to prevent duplication of data. Dr. Kimball responded that the Department of the Interior (DOI) shares his concerns about data duplication and pointed to USGS work on 3D elevation as an example of research taking multiple data sources and purposes into account to prevent duplication.
Ranking Member Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) emphasized the impacts of induced seismicity referenced in a recent USGS report on over 60 years of trends in hydraulic fracturing. Rep. Lowenthal said that hydraulic fracturing has progressed ahead of federal scientific understanding and urged USGS to focus research to compensate. Dr. Kimball explained that research on hydraulic fracturing has evolved substantially in the past 65 years and better instrumentation has allowed USGS to more fully identify and characterize human-induced seismicity through observation of earthquake swarms.
House Appropriations subcommittee reviews proposed FY 2016 NSF budget
March 17, 2015
On March 17, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies held a hearing on the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson (R-TX) expressed his wish to eliminate politics from consideration of the NSF budget, but cautioned NSF Director France Córdova to ask herself “How would taxpayers react to this?” and to be conscious of NSF spending.
The President’s FY 2016 NSF budget requests $7.7 billion, a 5.2 percent increase from the FY 2015 enacted budget. The increases are spread across NSF directorate programs including the Brain Research through Advancing Innovation and Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative; Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS); work focusing on disaster resilience; and the NSF INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners that have been Underrepresented for Diversity in Engineering and Science) initiative supporting diversity in STEM participation. The NSF budget requests $150 million for arctic research. Under the FY 2016 budget request, Geoscience Directorate (GEO) would receive $1.4 billion, a 4.7 percent increase from FY 2015. This budget request includes funding for two broader NSF initiatives in which geosciences plays a role, the PREEVENTS (Prediction of and Resilience against Extreme Events) which covers risk and resilience research on natural hazards, and INFEWS.
NSF does not submit a budget request with directorate-level funding numbers to Congress, but instead receives approval for an overall budget. Córdova reiterated her support for the current process of merit review, decadal reports, and community input that guides the NSF budget. The current budget system allows for greater cross-directorate flexibility, enabling directorates to work to together to leverage resources that support science.
Sources: AAAS, NSF
Senate budget amendments pass in "vote-a-rama"
March 27, 2015
On March 27, the Senate voted on a budget resolution for fiscal year (FY) 2016 (S.Con.Res.11). As part of this process, senators voted on many non-binding, germane amendments in a "vote-a-rama," where each amendment is considered separately. Due to the high number of amendments brought forward, voting lasted for 15 hours. These votes allow senators to test support and priorities for future legislation.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) received approval for her amendment, S.Amdt.838, which encourages sale or transfer of federal lands that are not parks, monuments, or preserves to state and local government to allow for greater development. Any proposed land transfer would still have to be approved by Congress. Another amendment put forward by Senator Murkowski, S.Amdt.770, would support increasing the fleet of U.S. ice breakers – vessels that are able to withstand polar waters and maintain shipping channels through ice. This amendment passed as well.
Senator Wyden’s (D-OR) amendment, S.Amdt.434, to provide for adjustment to committee allocations for wildfire suppression funding passed.
Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-RI) amendment, S.Amdt.1014, to address climate change through clean energy, energy efficiency, and carbon reductions also passed.
Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) replaced his amendment preventing a carbon tax, which was not considered germane, with an amendment to prevent an energy tax (Amdt.928), which passed.
Senator Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) amendment, Amdt.1002, supporting the upcoming National Parks Service Centennial passed as well.
Sources: Congress, E&E News