Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
march 2016
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congress
Senate committee discusses presidential natural resource mitigation policy
March 16, 2016
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing this week to discuss a memorandum released in November 2015 by President Obama, detailing his proposed policies for mitigating the environmental impacts of natural resource development. The memorandum defines mitigation as avoiding, minimizing, and compensating for the impacts of natural resource development, and prioritizes avoidance as the first measure.
In February 2016, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and 18 other senators submitted a letter to the Administration regarding the memorandum, raising concerns over its potential impacts on private investment and federal permitting.
In the hearing chaired by Sen. Murkowski, the committee probed witnesses about how the policies would impact development on federal lands, the permitting process, streamlining mitigation policies, and increasing private investment in natural resource extraction.
Most Democrats praised the memo for its increased environmental protection, whereas most Republicans criticized it for decreasing access to federal lands and delaying the permitting process. However, both parties shared concerns over the use of prescriptive language in the memorandum.
Sources: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, The White House
House Natural Resources Committee markup on NPS centennial bill
March 16, 2016
The House Committee on Natural Resources marked up 14 bills today, including one titled the National Park Service Centennial Act (H.R. 4680) in honor of the National Park Service (NPS) celebrating their 100th year this August.
Introduced by Congressmen Rob Bishop (R-UT), H.R. 4680 would provide NPS with new funding and management authorities. Major provisions within the bill include the Centennial Challenge Fund, a dollar-for-dollar match of federal to private investment in NPS projects, as well as an endowment to the National Park Foundation.
H.R. 4680 was adopted with one amendment, which was approved by voice vote, and will be reported to the House of Representatives floor for consideration.
Sources: House Committee on Natural Resources, Congress.gov
House Space Subcommittee discusses NASA FY17 budget
March 17, 2016
In a hearing hosted by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Space, Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) lead a discussion of the fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017) Presidential Budget Request for NASA. Witness Charles F. Bolden, NASA Administrator, provided testimony in favor of the proposed $19 billion request.
Rep. Babin blamed the President for doing a disservice to NASA by including mandatory funding in his budget request because this form of appropriations is unlikely to be passed in Congress. Both Rep. Babin and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-TX) pointed to the NASA FY 2017 budget as a “piggy-bank” for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whose Earth science programs benefit from NASA-funded programs. Bolden responded by pointing out that NASA is compensated for providing imaging satellites to both USGS and NOAA, whose programs are critical.
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) asked Bolden for concrete examples of how funding for Earth science is benefiting both the American people and the economy. To this, Bolden referenced the Soil Moisture Active Passage (SMAP) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) missions, which have benefitted communities by providing information on drought conditions in the U.S.
Other questions raised by Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) covered the timeline for EM1 and EM2, mission launches to Mars that would take place in 2018 and 2023, respectively, as well as safety and risk concerns. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) also asked about attracting more young people to aeronautics.
Sources: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA)