This week there has been no shortage of Darwin-related events to attend about town in Washington, D.C., as science and environmental groups have clamored to put on talks, events and celebrations commemorating Darwin’s legacy. Today I attended a symposium sponsored by the National Academies , titled “Twenty-first Century Ecosystems: Systemic Risk and the Public Good.” The session I attended on…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ACTION ALERT: NONNATIVE WILDLIFE INVASION PREVENTION ACT”] On January 26th, Representative Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) introduced the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act (H.R. 669), a bill designed to better control the introduction and establishment of nonnative animal species in the United States. The bill defers to the Federal Plant Pest Act for the regulation of nonnative…
The stimulus bill that was passed by the House of Representatives last week includes $3 billion for the National Science Foundation, among other large sums set aside for NOAA and the USGS. The bill is having trouble gaining support in the Senate, however, because many lawmakers believe that the bill includes too many long-term projects that would do little to…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”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…
ESA sent a letter today to president-elect Barack Obama recommending top priorities where ecological science should inform policy decisions in the new administration. Obama has already pledged his commitment to curbing climate change during his term. ESA applauded that commitment and outlined four other priorities for the next administration: ▪ Protecting water quality and quantity, especially in conjunction with worldwide…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”TRANSITION: OBAMA FINALIZES ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT TEAM”] With his selection of Colorado Senator Ken Salazar (D) as Secretary of the Interior, President-elect Barack Obama has now named all his top energy and environmental advisors. His team, which will be tasked with carrying out an aggressive agenda on climate change, deploying low-carbon energy technologies, and reducing…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION: WHAT OBAMA’S WIN MEANS FOR ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT”] Throughout his campaign, President-elect Barack Obama has consistently highlighted the importance and immediacy of government action on energy and the environment. He followed in suit during his Chicago victory speech, identifying the economic crisis and climate change as the greatest challenges facing Americans…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE: CANDIDATES REVEAL COMMON GROUND”] Both Barack Obama and John McCain agree that climate change is real, immediate, and, perhaps most significantly, that it is the result of human activity. Furthermore, each understands the important connection between climate, the energy debate, and the economic crisis, a connection that may keep environmental issues…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ENERGY: CONGRESS APPROVES, PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS MODIFIED BAILOUT PLAN THAT INCLUDES RENEWABLE ENERGY TAX EXTENSIONS”] On October 3rd, the House voted 263-171 to approve a modified version of the Wall Street rescue package they rejected earlier in the week. The new plan, which President Bush signed later that day, was adjusted by the Senate to…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ENERGY DEBATE: DEMOCRATIC PLAN PASSES IN THE HOUSE; POLITICS, ECONOMY LEAD TO UNCERTAINTY IN THE SENATE”] In the House: On September 16, the House voted 236-189 in favor of HR 6899, the Democratic energy bill, which includes a provision to widen offshore oil and gas exploration while expanding renewable energy incentives. This legislation would: Relax…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT ACTION ALERT : BUSH ADMINISTRATION PROPOSAL WOULD ALLOW FEDERAL AGENCIES TO DETERMINE WHETHER SCIENTIFIC REVIEW IS NECESSARY FOR NEW PROJECTS”] The Bush Administration has proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that would allow federal agencies to decide whether protected species would be threatened by agency construction projects. These changes were…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ENERGY DEBATE: CONTINUED DISPUTES NARROW CHANCES FOR DEAL BEFORE AUGUST RECESS”] On July 25th, Senate Democrats came up short of the 60 votes necessary to move forward on a bill that would curb “excessive” oil market speculation by expanding Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulation. The bill has become the center of the current energy…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ESA CO-SPONSORS WILDFIRE BRIEFINGS ON CAPITOL HILL”] On July 9, 2008, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) co-sponsored House and Senate briefings on “After the Fire: Approaches to Revitalizing Ecosystem Resources.” The Society teamed up with the Soil Science Society of America and the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics to address this timely…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”SCIENCE FUNDING: ESA participates in Hill Exhibition showcasing NSF projects”] On June 25, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) sponsored ESA member and graduate student Robert Pringle (Stanford U.) to participate in the annual Coalition for National Science Funding Exhibition and Reception. Pringle joined scientists from more than 30 other scientific societies, organizations and universities…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ESA hosts House and Senate Briefings on Cellulosic Biofuels”] On June 11, the Ecological Society of America hosted House and Senate briefings on The Sustainability of Cellulosic Biofuels. Three scientists discussed the ecological and economic considerations surrounding the use of cellulosic sources the leaves, stems, and other fibrous parts of a plant for producing biofuels….
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”AGRICULTURE: Farm bill veto override process continues amidst clerical blunder”] The Senate joined the House May 22 in voting to overturn the President’s veto of the five-year farm bill, despite questions over a missing section of the bill. The 82-13 vote in the Senate enacted more than 90 percent of the five-year farm bill into…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”AGRICULTURE: New farm bill still faces threat of Presidential veto”] House-Senate negotiators announced a final agreement on the nearly $300 billion five-year farm bill on May 8, and Bush Administration officials vowed to veto it. The five-year bill includes spending increases for nutrition and conservation and a new program that pays farmers to grow dedicated…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”AGRICULTURE: Long-awaited farm bill agreement heads to conference”] With an agreement among key farm bill negotiators finally in hand, the conference committee is expected to work swiftly the week of April 28 on the reauthorization of the five-year bill overseeing agriculture, conservation, energy and nutrition programs. The committee will hold a formal conference meeting April…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”CLIMATE: Feinstein, Snowe float bill to force EPA action”] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would have 60 days to complete its Supreme Court-mandated endangerment finding on greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles under legislation Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced April 2. The move follows EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson’s announcement that…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”CLIMATE: House members float bill to overturn California waiver decision”] House lawmakers introduced legislation on March 6 that would overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) denial of California’s request for a waiver to allow the state to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. The “Right to Clean Vehicles Act,” from Reps. Peter Welch…