PDF versionAGI policy news briefs summarize geoscience policy activities and related events in Washington, D.C. as part of an effort to keep AGI member societies and other audiences informed about relevant federal policy and legislative updates.
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The 2015 Consortium for Ocean Leadership Public Policy Forum on Predicting and Preparing for a Changing Arctic took place on March 4.
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).
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.
President Obama renominated Dr. Suzette Kimball as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on February 26, following the lapse of her nomination at the beginning of the 114th Congress in January.
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee marked up and passed the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2015 (H.R.34) on February 26.
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).
President Obama vetoed legislation authorizing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline on February 24, following passage of the House and Senate bills.
Steve Jurczyk is the new Associate Administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA, replacing Michael Gazarik who left NASA earlier in February.
On February 20, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) in conjunction with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposed rules for future oil and gas drilling on 128 million acres in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas as allocated in the BOEM’s 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Plan.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) released a report on February 17 that examines trends in the spatial distribution, treatment fluids, additives, proppants, and water volumes for nearly 1 million hydraulically fractured wells and 1.8 million fracturing treatments during the period 1947 through 2010.
Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced legislation this February that would overhaul the non-coal mining industry.
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).
On February 12, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released their final environmental review for oil and gas leases in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska.
NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite launched February 12, beginning its nearly million mile journey to Lagrange Point L1, 932,000 miles from Earth between the Earth and the Sun.
Concerns stemming from a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on weather satellites have caught the attention of the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee and Senate appropriators.
Jim Bennett is the new chief of the Renewable Energy Programs Office at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), a position left empty since Maureen Bornholdt retired last year.
A National Academy of Sciences panel called for more research into geoengineering as a method to combat climate change in two reports released on February 10.
On February 6, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced that $50 million allocated by Congress for Western drought relief will be used by the Bureau of Reclamation, water districts, and other water users to increase efficiency and conserve water in drought-stricken areas.
President Obama released his fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request on February 2, possibly indicating a return to normal fiscal order on Capitol Hill.
On January 29, NASA launched the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) instrument, a satellite that will collect soil moisture data to enhance climate modeling and improve lives by predicting floods and droughts.
Congressional committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives welcome new members and say farewell to others in the 114th Congress. Although Republicans have finalized the majority of their committee assignments, Democrats are still working to place members.
President Obama signed an executive order on January 30 requiring that federal projects be built two feet higher than the previous standard to protect against floods that may worsen as a result of climate change.
In late January, the Obama administration and federal agencies proposed new policies governing Arctic oil and gas exploration.
On January 29, the Department of the Interior (DOI) held the largest sale of federal waters for offshore wind development with 742,000 acres open for bidding.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) picked Craig McLean to be the next Assistant Administrator for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced its 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing program which includes plans to open the Atlantic Ocean for oil and gas leasing.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA released reports (NOAA, NASA) showing that 2014 was the warmest year on record for temperatures of both land and ocean surfaces. Japan’s Meteorological Agency confirmed that their records also show 2014 as the warmest year.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) reintroduced a bill to help fund wildfire suppression operations. If enacted, the bill would allow budget overruns incurred from fighting wildfires to be paid for with money earmarked to natural disasters rather than non-fire allocated accounts or fire prevention funding.
On January 12, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) named Dr. Steve Hickman as the new director of the Earthquake Science Center.
A bill approving Keystone XL passed out of committee, underwent the amendment process in the Senate, and was approved by the full Senate by a vote of 62-36 on January 29.
On January 7, the House passed two bills that focus on research and preparedness for tsunami and windstorm hazards.
A report released January 5 by the Seismological Society of America (SSA) links hydraulic fracturing to earthquakes experienced in Ohio in 2014.
According to a statement released on December 31, China has ended export quotas they previously placed on rare earth elements (REEs) after the World Trade Organization (WTO) declared the quotas illegal in August 2014.
A draft of the first World Ocean Assessment (WOA) opened for review by registered experts on December 20.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell named Abigail Ross Hopper as Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on December 18.
Following the results of two reports that assessed public health risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo upheld his state’s moratorium on the practice while Maryland’s outgoing-Governor Martin O’Malley plans to overturn their moratorium, allowing hydraulic fracturing in the state.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its annual Arctic report card on December 17, which analyzes climatic trends in the region.
On December 17, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced an updated version of its current scientific integrity policy, which was introduced in 2011.
On December 16, President Obama enacted an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil and gas development in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
On December 16, the Senate unanimously confirmed by voice vote several of President Obama’s long-standing nominees for energy advisory posts in one of the final actions of the 113th Congress.
On December 16, NASA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists released separate studies reporting significant declines in groundwater in the Western U.S.
On December 16, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the status of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), which will replace the current polar orbiting satellite, Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP).
On December 15, the Washington State Joint SR 530 Landslide Commission released its final report in response to the tragic March 2014 Oso landslide that destroyed homes and roads and claimed 43 lives.
United Nations (UN) climate negotiations in Lima closed on December 15 with an agreement that could lead to a global climate accord in Paris next year.
After passing a 2-day extension of the existing continuing resolution (CR), which funded the federal government through December 11, Congress passed a fiscal year (FY) 2015 omnibus spending bill on December 13 and avoided a government shutdown.
On December 12, the Senate passed a group of public lands bills as part of the 2015 defense authorization that include expansions of wilderness and park lands as well as changes to energy, mining, and logging policy on public lands.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti released a report on December 8 that proposes new, stricter building codes aimed at the structures mostly likely to collapse in an earthquake.