2018

White House directs research and development priorities for FY 2020 agency budget

Silhouette of an idealized head with radiating profile outlines, cogs inside to show that there are new thoughts being constructed.

The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Mick Mulvaney sent a memorandum on July 31 to heads of executive departments and agencies highlighting the administration's research and development (R&D) priorities and providing guidance to agencies as they formulate their fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget submissions. The memorandum defined eight R&D priority areas and five R&D priority practices. Agency R&D budgets will be incorporated into the President’s annual budget submission to Congress in early February.

Senate committee discusses U.S. foreign dependence on critical minerals

IES Materials and Minerals Glyph

On July 19, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources convened a hearing on critical minerals. The hearing was held to review the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) recently published final list of critical minerals, which are minerals required for basic civilian and/or military manufacturing and with a supply chain vulnerable to disruption.

House Science Committee moves forward with the Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act

Sun

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a full committee markup on July 24 to consider the Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act (S. 141), which passed the Senate by unanimous consent in May 2017. During the House markup, committee members offered three amendments to the space weather bill—two of which were agreed upon by a voice vote.

House subcommittees hold joint hearing to discuss fossil energy technology developments

Natural gas pump

On July 17, two subcommittees of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee – the Subcommittee on Energy and the Subcommittee on the Environment – held a joint hearing to discuss the future of fossil fuel as a primary energy source. The hearing also focused on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) partnerships with industry groups to develop technology that aids in the management of carbon dioxide.

Senate Commerce Subcommittee considers NOAA Blue Economy Initiative

Atlantic waves

The acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, appeared before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard on July 24 to answer questions about NOAA’s Blue Economy Initiative. At the hearing, Gallaudet also vowed that NOAA is committed to the climate and conservation elements of its mission.

EPA holds public hearing for proposed rule on Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science

Technology background

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a twelve-hour public hearing on July 17 to hear oral comments on the proposed rule entitled “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.” More than one hundred preregistered individuals presented testimony to a panel of EPA representatives. The comment period for the proposed rule ends on August 16, 2018.

2018-2019 AGI Fisher Fellow Ryan Edwards

Ryan Edwards earned his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University. His research concentrated on improving understanding of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and geological storage of carbon dioxide. Ryan also has a focus on energy and climate policy. He was a fellow with the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, where he investigated pathways to accelerate deployment of carbon capture and storage, and he also led a team working on Princeton University’s carbon emissions reduction plans. Prior to moving to the U.S. from Australia, Ryan completed a B.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and B.Sc. in Geology at the University of Adelaide and worked as an engineer in the mining and natural resource management industries. Ryan is looking forward to gaining insight into the policy development process as the 2018-19 William L. Fisher Congressional Geoscience Fellow.

House subcommittee reviews three wind energy bills

House chamber

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources discussed three bills that would boost offshore wind projects on June 26. One of the draft bills would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to include a leasing program for offshore renewable energy. Another draft bill would expand the Act to pertain to U.S. territories, such as Guam. The third bill would create a federal grant program to train workers who want to transition to offshore wind from other industries.

Senate hearings consider EPA and DOE nominees; President Trump nominates head of CEQ

The White House

At the end of June, Senate committees held hearings to consider nominees for the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Christopher Fall, the nominee for director of DOE’s Office of Science; Daniel Simmons, the nominee for assistant secretary of DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and Peter Wright, the nominee for assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management. On June 12, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Mary Neumayr to be the Chairwoman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which oversees the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) across federal agencies. To track the confirmation process of key geoscience presidential nominations from the Trump Administration, visit AGI’s Federal Nominations page.

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