Good morning everyone,
Below is the latest edition of the Ecological Society of America's
Policy News, a bi-monthly summary of major environmental policy news, produced
by the ESA Public Affairs Office. Although we normally do not send the Policy
News to ECOLOG subscribers, we wanted to take this opportunity to direct your
attention to the action alert (first item) on science funding in the upcoming
stimulus package.
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Piper Corp
Science Policy Analyst
Ecological Society of America
1990 M Street NW, Suite 700
Washington DC 20036
(202)833-8773 ext 224
[email protected]
ESA Policy News Update January 22, 2009
ACTION ALERT: OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON SCIENCE FUNDING PROPOSED
IN ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE
ECONOMY: STIMULUS PACKAGE TO FEATURE GREEN INVESTMENTS, INCLUDE
SIGNIFICANT SCIENCE FUNDING
ENERGY: WAXMAN, HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE TO HAVE
CLIMATE LEGISLATION READY BY MEMORIAL DAY
OMNIBUS: SENATE PASSES LONG-DEBATED PACKAGE, PUBLIC LANDS AND
NATURAL RESOURCES STAND TO BENEFIT
MIDNIGHT REGULATIONS: NEW ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS CONSIDERING
OPTIONS FOR OVERTURNING LAST-MINUTE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES FROM THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION
==============================================================================================
ACTION ALERT: OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON SCIENCE FUNDING PROPOSED
IN ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE
This week, House appropriators marked up the proposed $825
billion economic stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill
of 2009. Now is a critical juncture for individual scientists to contact their
congressional representative and Senators and express their views on the
funding proposed for science in the economic stimulus bill. It is significant
that science figures so prominently in the proposed bill and Members of
Congress need to know that the scientific community is aware and appreciative
of their efforts.
As proposed, the bill would provide billions of dollars for
science, including $3 billion to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The
proposed funding for NSF would expand opportunities in fundamental science and
engineering to meet environmental challenges and to improve global
competitiveness as well as to build major research facilities and improve
instruction in science, math, and engineering. The bill also proposes $600
million-primarily for climate research-for the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, $600 million for satellites and sensors for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, $200 million to repair and modernize
the U.S. Geological Survey, $550 million to the U.S. Forest Service for
restoration efforts on non-federal forest ecosystems, to conduct urban tree
inventories, and respond to insect and disease threats. The bill also proposes
$79 billion for state fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks in key services
including loca!
l school districts, and public colleges and universities.
For more details on the stimulus bill, please refer to the
article below.
The bill is slated for a vote by the full House next week. The
Senate has not yet taken up the bill and will likely propose different figures,
in some cases possibly lower than those proposed by the House. House Speaker
Pelosi has been key in advancing the science portions of this bill and many
professional organizations including the Ecological Society of America will be
sending letters of thanks.
To identify your congressional representative and send them an
email, type in your 9 -digit zip code on this link of the House website:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml or contact ESA's Public
Affairs Office for assistance by emailing Nadine Lymn ([email protected]).
ECONOMY: STIMULUS PACKAGE TO FEATURE GREEN INVESTMENTS, INCLUDE
SIGNIFICANT SCIENCE FUNDING
House-side markups are currently underway for the much-discussed
economic stimulus package. The package, which is to focus heavily on renewable
energy and infrastructure development, would also include funding for
scientific research. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has on numerous occasioned
underscored her belief that scientific research and innovation are integral to
America's success, stating recently that, "It's about science, science, science
and science, innovation as we rebuild America, create jobs, invest in our
people and turn this economy around."
On January 15th, House Democratic leaders provided a first look
at the specific provisions to be funded by the $825 billion economic stimulus
bill. The bill, crafted largely by the Appropriations and Ways & Means
committees, would provide $550 billion in direct investments and $275 billion
in tax breaks.
The leaders, who set a deadline of February 13th for the passage
of the legislation, acknowledged that it would lead to large budget deficits in
future years, but reiterated its importance in providing jobs for millions of
Americans and preventing the economic crisis from becoming more severe.
Although Senate Democrats have not yet released their own version of the bill,
they have been working alongside House leadership during the drafting
process-the two chambers intend to move similar packages to minimize the length
of conference negotiations.
Many had speculated on the place scientific research would have
in the package. It now appears that more than $10 billion will go towards
groups including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of
Health, Department of Energy, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Still, much of this funding
will be dedicated to facilities and instrumentation (maintaining, repairing,
acquiring or adapting new research equipment) rather than basic research.
Investment in instrumentation represents one of the most economically viable
ways to include science in the spending bill-it is a low-risk way to support
research and, much like infrastructure development, it has the ability to put
Americans to work. In some cases, such as that of NOAA, spending on
instrumentation will be directed specifically towards developing sensing
equipment necessary for tracking and modeling climate change.
Basic research and science education are not absent from the
spending bill, however, and in fact are funded through several different
avenues, most notably:
* National Science Foundation: Of NSF's $3 billion in funding, $2
billion will go towards expanding employment opportunities in fundamental
science and engineering in order to meet environmental challenges and improve
global economic competitiveness. $100 million will go towards improving
science, math, and engineering education.
* NASA: $400 million of NASA's $600 million allotment will be
used to put more scientists to work doing climate change research. This will
include Earth science research recommended by the National Academies, as well
as the construction of satellite sensors to measure solar radiation critical to
climate change research, and a thermal infrared sensor necessary for water
management, particularly in the western states.
The exact size of individual energy tax credits remains to be
seen, but the document released by the House Ways and Means Committee indicates
that House Democrats intend to fund several energy tax breaks (i.e. a long-term
extension of the renewable energy production tax credit, incentives for energy
efficiency and conservation, renewable energy development, and smart energy
conservation), which could lead to tremendous investment in alternative energy
development.
The direct spending portion of the package will direct $54
billion towards the development of alternative energy technologies and an
updated electric grid, with the goal of doubling renewable energy production.
Here's a look at the current distribution of funds:
* $11 billion to modernize the electric grid-this sum includes
funding for research and development, as well as for the construction of new
power lines for renewable energy transmission.
* $8 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy production
and transmission projects.
* $6.9 billion in block grants to state and local governments,
who are then to invest in energy efficiency and carbon reduction projects.
* $6.7 billion to improve the energy efficiency of federal
buildings.
* $2.4 billion for carbon capture and sequestration technology
demonstration projects.
* $2 billion for renewable energy and energy efficiency research
projects, which will be awarded to universities, companies, and national
laboratories.
* $2 billion for the development of advanced vehicle battery
systems.
* $1.5 billion in grants to help school districts, universities,
utilities and local governments become more energy efficient.
Roughly $90 billion of the stimulus bill will go towards
infrastructure projects, $40 billion of which will be invested in the
construction or enhancement of highways, bridges, and other transportation
systems. This figure falls below the funding requirements identified by the
committee and pushed for by some local governments, but remains too high for
many environmental groups, who argue that building additional roads will
increase greenhouse gas emissions. The remaining $50 billion will go towards
the modernization of federal and public infrastructure (e.g. improvements to
airports and border security at ports)-an initiative that lawmakers say will
result in long-term energy savings-and to "green" infrastructure projects like
environmental restoration and the improvement of drinking water systems.
Total funding for green infrastructure projects is currently set
at approximately $19 billion, and includes:
* $9.5 billion in loans and grants to help communities improve
their drinking water and wastewater treatment systems. Of this, $1.5 billion
will be specifically directed toward rural communities.
* $4.5 billion of Army Corps of Engineers investments in
environmental restoration, flood protection, navigation infrastructure, and
hydropower projects.
* $1.3 billion for nuclear and Superfund hazardous waste cleanup.
ENERGY: WAXMAN, HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE TO HAVE
CLIMATE LEGISLATION READY BY MEMORIAL DAY
In an effort to ensure a major environmental achievement during
President Obama's first term, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman
set a Memorial Day deadline for moving comprehensive climate and energy
legislation through his committee.
Representative Ed Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Energy and
Environment Subcommittee, will play a lead role in writing the climate
legislation. Although the specifics of the bill have not yet been revealed,
Markey said he would build off a cap-and-trade bill he authored last spring, as
well as a draft measure released last fall by John Dingell (D-MI) and Rick
Boucher (D-VA). Both Markey and Waxman have indicated that the bill could also
draw from the proposal recently released by the U.S. Climate Action Partnership
(U.S. CAP), a prominent coalition of companies and environmental groups. U.S.
CAP's "Blueprint for Legislative Action," provides a detailed set of
recommendations aimed at achieving an 80 percent reduction in emissions by
2050, the emissions goal supported by Obama.
These recommendations include:
* Setting a 2030 target to curb emissions 58 percent below 2005
levels.
* Constructing new coal plants with carbon capture and
sequestration abilities.
* Creating a national greenhouse gas registry with a single price
for trading carbon.
* Maintaining a "reserve of credits" from offset projects such as
forest conservation and renewable energy development.
* Setting an initial limit on the amount of offsets companies can
use to achieve compliance, and instituting a congressionally created Carbon
Market Board to revise offset credits and limits going forward.
The suggested legislation has already been received with some
resistance by committee Republicans, who are either skeptical of climate change
science or concerned with the economic implications of the bill. U.S. CAP,
however, has argued that it would cost more to combat the effects of climate
change in the future than it would to institute cap-and-trade legislation now.
In a recent press conference, Jeff Immelt, CEO of U.S. CAP member General
Electric, also suggested the legislation would spur economic growth by
establishing the U.S. as a leader in clean technologies.
To move the legislation forward, Waxman and Markey will also need
to convince dozens of House Democrats representing districts with heavy
industrial bases. Many of these representatives plan to be active participants
in drafting the bill.
"I want to be able to support a bill," said Indiana
Representative Baron Hill, "but if coal is not addressed, then I cannot support
a bill. It's just as plain and simple as that."
Meanwhile, both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate
Environmental and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have issued
statements expressing their support of Waxman's plans. Boxer, who pushed a
cap-and-trade bill through her committee in December 2007, noted that the House
had been silent on climate change legislation for the past two years, and
promised to release "a set of principles for my new legislation in the coming
weeks."
Both chambers will be consulting closely with the Obama
administration on its preferences for climate change policy. The new
administration will likely release a series of legislative principles rather
than a detailed bill.
OMNIBUS: SENATE PASSES LONG-DEBATED PACKAGE, PUBLIC LANDS AND
NATURAL RESOURCES STAND TO BENEFIT
On January 15, following a months-long battle between Democratic
leaders and Republican Senator Tom Coburn (OK), the Senate passed S. 22, an
omnibus package including more than 160 water, resources, and public lands
bills. Coburn blocked the legislation in the previous Congress, arguing against
the expansion of national parks, which he said the Department of the Interior
would not be able to adequately maintain in light of its existing $9 billion
maintenance backlog for public lands. He also cited several provisions, such as
the allocation of $3.5 million to commemorate the 450th anniversary of St.
Augustine, Florida, as examples of wasteful government spending.
Portions of the bill also raised concern among environmental
groups, most notably the proposed construction of a road through Alaska's
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for additional wilderness for the
refuge. Local officials say the road would create an important transportation
route for currently isolated communities, but environmentalists argue that it
would damage the refuge and interfere with migration patterns.
As a whole, however, the package was considered largely
uncontroversial. Highlights include:
* Expansion of public lands
o Designates more than 2 million acres of wilderness in nine
states in the largest expansion of the Wilderness Preservation System since
1994.
o Establishes three new national park units, three new national
conservation areas, and 1,000-plus miles of national wild and scenic rivers.
* Improvement of wildfire management
o Includes plans to reduce wildfire management expenses by
prioritizing and funding collaborative ecological restoration projects offering
the greatest protection against wildfires.
* Development of climate change and water shortage adaption
programs
o Funds the creation of a program to address potential water
shortages, conflicts, and other effects of climate change. The program would be
established by the Bureau of Reclamation, which would collaborate with the U.S.
Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
and state water agencies.
o Calls for the assembly of a panel of federal agency and
department members who would create hydrologic models to help federal, state,
and local water managers develop long-term water management and flood-hazard
mitigation plans.
o Funds a cooperative watershed management program to help
diverse stakeholders form or join watershed groups, conduct water availability
and quality research, and/or develop projects aimed at improving water
conservation, water quality, or ecological resiliency, or at reducing the
potential for water conflicts.
* Improvement of collaboration in ocean and coastal monitoring
o Calls for collaboration among federal agencies in developing a
program to research and monitor the effects of ocean acidification on the
marine environment.
o Funds a program through NOAA to improve the science behind the
management and conservation of oceanic, marine, and coastal areas, as well as
the Great Lakes. The new program would establish a federal ocean and coastal
mapping plan to enhance ecosystem awareness in the management of marine
resources and habitats, and to advance ocean and coastal science.
o Includes a new coastal and estuarine land conservation program,
which, under the administration of NOAA's Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
Office, would protect areas with significant ecological, historical,
recreational, or aesthetic values.
o Calls for a national network of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes
observation systems. This network, coordinated by the National Ocean Research
Leadership Council, would support national defense, marine commerce and
navigation safety, and weather forecasting.
MIDNIGHT REGULATIONS: NEW ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS CONSIDERING
OPTIONS FOR OVERTURNING LAST-MINUTE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES FROM THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION
Hours after President Obama was sworn in on January 20, his chief
of staff, Rahm Emanuel, ordered a freeze on all pending federal regulations.
This move, common during changes in administration, will allow the new White
House team to review-and reverse if necessary-many of the Bush administration's
last minute rule changes. These so-called "midnight regulations" include a
number of energy and environmental measures, such as the revisions of the
Endangered Species Act, the removal of the gray wolf from the endangered
species list in several states, the leasing of 2 million acres of western lands
for oil shale research and development, and the modification of air pollution
permits and mountaintop mining standards (the new regulation would allow mining
companies to dispose of waste in rivers).
Emanuel's memo, which calls for the withdrawal of all unpublished
regulations, also requests a 60-day review period and a 30-day public comment
period for published regulations that have not yet gone into effect.
In Congress, several Democratic leaders have vowed to take action
against many of the changes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) have said they will consider using the
Congressional Review Act to overturn some of the regulations if necessary. The
Congressional Review Act, which has only been used once since its inception
during the Clinton administration, would allow Congress to vote down recently
passed regulations with a simple majority and Presidential approval. Senate
Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has also said she
would consider using the law to block the proposed changes to the Endangered
Species Act, changes that have already prompted lawsuits from the state of
California and several prominent environmental groups.
The Obama administration will also likely attempt to tackle
regulations it objects to, although the new president could face substantial
legal and political challenges if he tries undo policies entangled in court
fights.
Two prominent policies, the denial of California's request to
regulate greenhouse gases from new automobiles and the Clean Air Mercury Rule
(CAMR) regulating power plants, are currently pending in federal courts.
Although Obama and his team have indicated plans to grant the California
waiver, observers say Obama's intervention, although called for by many of his
supporters, might be viewed as White House interference in major science
policy. This is of particular concern following widespread criticism over the
Bush administration's alleged interference with Environmental Protection Agency
decisions.
For additional information about midnight regulations, please
refer to the December 19th edition of the Policy News Update at:
http://www.esa.org/pao/policyNews/pn2008/12192008.php
==========================================================================================
Sources: Environment and Energy Daily, Greenwire, Science, U.S.
Geological Society Coalition, the Coalition for National Science Funding, New
West, Politico, The Washington Post
Send questions or comments to Piper Corp, Science Policy Analyst,
[email protected] or Nadine Lymn, ESA Director of Public Affairs, [email protected]
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