Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
october 2017
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federal agencies
October 11, 2017
Setting a new record by waiting longer than any other president to nominate a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator, President Donald Trump officially announced his intent to nominate Barry Myers, CEO of AccuWeather, to lead the federal agency in charge of weather and climate predictions, ocean and coastal research, and fisheries management.
Some observers note that nomination of Myers, a businessman from Pennsylvania, could steer NOAA in a new direction if he chooses to refocus the nation’s weather enterprise and incentivize more private-public partnerships. The White House underscores that Myers is one of the world's leading authorities on the use of weather information and has pioneered a decade of expansive growth for AccuWeather. While previous NOAA administrators had extensive scientific backgrounds, Myers’ academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics, a master's degree in business management and organizational behavior from Pennsylvania State University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University. Another player in the private weather industry, Dr. Neil Jacobs, Chief Atmospheric Scientist for Panasonic Weather Solutions, was nominated on October 3 to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction.
President Trump's pick to lead the Army Corps of Engineers has decades of experience with the agency. R.D. James, a self-employed farmer and a qualified civil engineer, who has served on the Mississippi River Commission since 1981. He was nominated by President Trump on October 5 to be Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works.
The Senate has also confirmed a number of key agency nominees, including Stephen Censky for Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Ted McKinney for Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, both approved on October 3. Two days later, the Senate confirmed Walter Copan as Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, and Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Sources: E&E News, Library of Congress, White House Press Office, U.S. Senate
Senator Rand Paul introduces bill to reform the federal grant review process
October 18, 2017
On October 17, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the BASIC Research Act (S.1973), a bill that would fundamentally change how the federal government reviews research grant proposals. The bill seeks to make several changes to peer review processes and broaden public access requirements for grant applications and research results. The following day, Senator Paul convened a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management.
The hearing titled “Broken Beakers: Federal Support for Research” featured testimony from three expert witnesses who addressed federal investments in research and the role of science in growing the economy, national security, and well-being of American society. Rebecca Cunningham, an Associate Vice President for Research and Professor at the University of Michigan, provided several examples of the benefits from federal funding in basic scientific research. Brian Nosek, Executive Director of the Center for Open Science and Professor at the University of Virginia, suggested that promoting a culture of transparency and reproducibility, by shifting the incentive for researchers, will improve the speed and efficiency of scientific discovery. Conversely, Adjunct Scholar Terence Kealey of the Cato Institute argued that there is no evidence indicating that the expansion of federal funding of science since World War II has substantially contributed to the U.S. economy.
The BASIC Research Act would add two new representatives to every federal panel that reviews grant applications; one representative would be an expert in a field unrelated to the research being proposed, while the other would be a taxpayer advocate for research. Applicants would not be allowed to provide recommendations as to who should or should not participate on their grant review panel. The proposed legislation would also call for all federal grant applications to be made public.
The BASIC Research Act is similar in nature to Representative Lamar Smith’s (R-TX-21) HONEST Act (H.R.1430), which passed the House on March 29. The HONEST Act amends the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 (H.R.11302) to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations unless all scientific and technical information to support such regulations is the best available science and is made publicly available for independent analysis and reproduction of results. The HONEST Act directs the EPA to issue guidance based solely on studies whose methods, materials, and data are open and accessible. This aspect is especially contentious in the scientific community because researchers typically keep data private before they publish their research.
Sources: American Institute of Physics, Library of Congress, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs