[toggles] [toggle title=”Department of the Interior Adopts Political Review of Grants, Reverses Rules, Proposes Drilling Expansion”] Political Screening for Interior Grants According to a Dec. 28 directive obtained by The Washington Post, the Department of the Interior has instituted a new screening process for science grants to outside groups. This new system requires political appointees to approve grants to nonprofits…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Trump Announces National Monuments Review Decisions”] President Trump announced proclamations dramatically modifying and reducing the management and size of the Bears Ears (BENM) and Grand Staircase-Escalante (GSENM) national monuments on Monday Dec. 4. The following day, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke released a revised final report summarizing the findings of his broader review of national and marine monuments under…
[toggles] [toggle title=”NOAA Nominee Agrees, Humans Are Main Cause of Climate Change”] Barry Myers, nominee to serve as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), faced a confirmation hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The hearing was notable because when pressed on climate change, Myers said, “If the ice is…
[toggles] [toggle title=”ESA Joins Other Societies in Opposition to Higher Education Changes in Tax Bill”] The tax reform bill passed by the House on Nov. 16 includes changes that would affect higher education, making it less affordable and less accessible by eliminating tax provisions for graduate students and imposing an excise tax on nonprofit private university endowments. In response to…
[toggles] [toggle title=”EPA Science Advisory Committees, Installs Many Industry-Linked Advocates”] On Oct. 31, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced a directive to “ensure independence, geographic diversity and integrity in EPA science committees.” The new directive prohibits science advisors to the agency who also receive EPA grants, with Pruitt indicating the potential for conflicts of interest. “Whatever science comes…
[toggles] [toggle title=”EPA Cancels Its Ecologists’ Speaking Appearances”] Read ESA’s statement in response to this cancellation in the article below. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cancelled the speaking appearances of three scientists at an event launching the “State of the Narragansett Bay and Watershed” report in Providence, RI. The report includes the effects of climate change on the bay. EPA…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Infrastructure Spending Must Address Coastal Resilience”] Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, each making U.S. landfall as Category 4 storms, break modern records for a single U.S. hurricane season. Hurricane Nate, a Category 1 storm, made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi this weekend. It is now making its way along the Appalachian Mountains and will soak the…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Trump Administration Climate Update”] International Climate Agreements President Trump addressed the 72nd annual general session of the U.N. General Assembly for the first time, Tuesday, Sept. 19. In his comments, Trump called out the global threats of “terrorists and extremists,” “rogue regimes,” and “international criminal networks.” Tensions with North Korea and conflicts in the Middle East figured prominently….
[toggles] [toggle title=”Administration Joins with Democrats to Pass Continuing Budget Resolution”] On Sept. 6, President Trump stunned Republicans by agreeing to a budget deal with Democrats to fund disaster aid and prevent a government shutdown. The package includes $15.25 billion for Harvey relief, funds the government with a continuing resolution until Dec. 8, and raises the debt ceiling, which would…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Member Input Requested: Special Policy Forum at Portland Annual Meeting”] ***We want to hear from you. Send us questions by the end of this week that you would like the panelists to answer. Email them to alison@esa.org with “Special Policy Forum Question” in the subject line.*** In response to ecologists’ increased motivation to effectively engage in the political…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Trump Administration Review of National Monument Designations Rapidly Continues“] Submit Comments on National Monument Review On June 29, the Ecological Society of America sent an action alert encouraging members to submit comments to the Department of the Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the administration’s review of national monuments, marine national monuments, and national marine…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Appropriations Hearing on National Science Foundation Fiscal Year 2018 Proposed Budget”] The president’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget request for all federal agencies that was released in May included large cuts for scientific research across agencies. It is Congress, however, that crafts the 12 appropriations bills that fund the government. As they work on federal appropriations for FY…
[toggles] [toggle title=”U.S. to Exit Paris Climate Accord”] President Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord in a celebratory Rose Garden ceremony on Thursday, June 1. The long-anticipated announcement came after lengthy internal White House debate; it had been expected prior to the G-7 Summit at the end of May. Ivanka Trump, her husband…
[toggles] [toggle title=”President Releases FY 2018 Budget Request”] President Trump released his first official budget request, “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” on Tuesday, May 23. The plan calls for massive cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, with a corresponding increase in defense spending. It also significantly cuts a wide range of social programs. With cuts of $54 billion in the…
[toggles] [toggle title=”President Trump’s Use of Executive Authority in the First 100 Days“] President Trump has made very heavy use of executive authority in his first 100 days, January 20 to April 29, 2017, signing 32 executive orders, 28 Presidential memoranda and 30 proclamations, more than any president since Truman. Executive orders are most commonly used to instruct the executive…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Executive Order Reshapes Climate Policies“] President Trump signed an Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth, Mar. 28, at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters surrounded by roughly a dozen coal executives and miners. Welcoming his visitors, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt stated, “We’re no longer going to have a regulatory assault on any given sector of…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Budget Blueprint Slashes Non-Defense Discretionary Budgets“] On Monday, March 13, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch” directing the director of the Office of Management and Budget “to propose a plan to reorganize governmental functions and eliminate unnecessary agencies.” That order, combined with the president’s previously announced federal hiring freeze,…
[subtoggles] [subtoggle title=”Transition Update”] Trump addresses Congress and signs two STEM bills President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, February 28. (Trump’s first official State of the Union address will be in 2018, but the president’s office called this his “State of the Union address.”) The reviews were generally positive as the president, mainly sticking to the…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Transition Update”] Pruitt begins at Environmental Protection Agency Newly confirmed and sworn in, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt had his first meeting Tuesday, February 21, with agency staff anxious about broad changes. In an 11 minute speech, Pruitt asked listeners to give him a chance before judging. He also, however, hinted at broad changes on his…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Scientists and doctors unite against Trump immigration order”] President Trump’s Executive Order: Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, January 27, stirred many. Letters from medical, research and academic societies decried the Trump immigration order and called for its withdrawal. The Ecological Society of America joined 151 other scientific and engineering societies, national associations,…