[toggles] [toggle title=”Expedited Environmental Reviews and Approvals”] President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday, January 24, directing the still unnamed chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality to exercise broad authority for “expediting environmental reviews and approvals for high priority infrastructure projects,” mandating a thirty day decision timeline. President Trump commented, “And if it’s a no, we’ll give…
[toggles] [toggle title=”Senate Confirmation Hearings”] Senate confirmation hearings on eight of President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominations are expected in the coming week, with four on Wednesday alone. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump has scheduled his first press conference since July also on Wednesday. The hearing for Attorney General nominee, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) was held today before the Senate Judiciary Committee at 9:30…
[toggles] [toggle title=”ESA 2017 Graduate Student Policy Award”] ESA invites you to apply for the 2017 Graduate Student Policy Award (GSPA). Awardees receive first-hand engagement at the interface of science and public policy. The event will occur April 24-26, 2017. Participants receive: Travel to Washington, DC, to participate in the Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition Congressional Visits Day, an annual…
[toggles] [toggle title=”ESA Joins with Science Societies and Urge Trump to Name a Science Advisor”] ESA joined with the leaders of 28 science organizations and sent a November 23 letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging him to meet with them and to appoint a science advisor quickly. The letter pointed to science and technology as an important driver of U.S….
[toggles] [toggle title=”How Will A New Administration Affect Science”] This is a developing story and some statements in this article will change. With the elections behind us, many in the academic and scientific sphere are bracing for the next administration’s policy platforms and subsequent implementation. Congress and the Executive Branch now share the same political party and federal funding for…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”ENDANGERED SPECIES / CLIMATE CHANGE: Federal Appeals Court Rules Climate Change Projections Can Support Species Listings”] A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday, October 24, that species listings under the Endangered Species Act may be based on climate models showing future habitat loss. The San Francisco…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”][/toggle] [toggle title=”Webinar: Eyes in the Sky- Drone Use for Ecological Research”] Many researchers use drones in terrestrial and marine environments, giving scientists unprecedented access to areas previously difficult to reach. In August, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy announced new measures to accelerate the safe integration and innovative adoption of unmanned aircraft systems…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”][/toggle] [toggle title=”Federal Budget: Senate Republicans and Democrats Divided Over Stopgap Spending Bill “] The White House Office of Management and Budget held a planning call on Friday Sept. 23 with government agencies, as is required one week before agency spending runs out. Federal agencies are prohibited from spending any funds in the absence of enacted appropriations…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”Conservation: IUCN World Conservation Congress”] Every four years, the National Science Foundation (NSF) updates its strategic plan. NSF is inviting feedback from the ecological community on the vision, core values, strategic goals and strategic objectives in its current strategic plan. The strategic plan presents an evaluation framework to measure agency performance and describes core approaches…
ESA joined 56 of America’s leading nonpartisan organizations in posing 20 questions on current science issues to the Presidential candidates.
[toggles title=”In This Issue”][/toggle] [toggle title=”NSF: Strategic Plan Requesting input from the ecological community”] Every four years, the National Science Foundation (NSF) updates its strategic plan. NSF is inviting feedback from the ecological community on the vision, core values, strategic goals and strategic objectives in its current strategic plan. The strategic plan presents an evaluation framework to measure agency performance…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”][/toggle] [toggle title=”Zika funding fails, Democrats cite controversial amendments”] Zika funding remains at an impasse as Congress adjourned for summer recess. On Thursday, July 14 Senate Democrats refused, for the second time, to accept Republican-backed $1.1 billion Zika funding provisions in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill (H.R.2577) that includes controversial amendments added in conference. The…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”][/toggle] [toggle title=”Appropriations and Energy”] Congressional calendar stall spending bills and energy reform A continuing resolution (CR) appears increasingly likely as congressional leaders are skeptical of progress on required spending bills and energy reform legislation before its scheduled summer recess. Only three of twelve spending bills have passed both the House and Senate. House Appropriations Chairman Hal…
[toggles title=”In This Issue“] [/toggle] [toggle title=”Senate: NSF authorizing bill introduced“] Senate The highly anticipated American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which is the Senate’s successor of the 2010 America COMPETES Act that expired in 2013, was introduced by the Senate Commerce and Science Committee on June 23. The bill garnered bipartisan sponsors: Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), John…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”ENERGY: HOUSE PASSES BILL THAT RESTRICTS CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH“] On May 25, the House passed S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act. The bill passed by a vote of 241-178. Eight Democrats joined all but six Republicans in supporting the measure. S. 2012 passed the Senate April 20, 2016 by a strong bipartisan vote…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”RESEARCH: SENATE COMMITTEE CONTINUES DELIBERATION OF AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION“] On May 11, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee convened a hearing entitled “Leveraging the US Science and Technology Enterprise.” The hearing is part of the committee’s ongoing efforts to solicit input from the scientific community as it drafts legislation to reauthorize the…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”APPROPRIATIONS: SENATE COMMERCE, JUSTICE AND SCIENCE BILL CLEARS SUBCOMMITTEE“] On April 19, the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee approved its Fiscal Year 2017 spending bill. The bill includes $56.3 billion, $563 above the FY 2016 enacted level and $1.6 billion above the Obama administration’s FY 2017 budget request. The National Science…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”SENATE: LAWMAKERS REVIEW USGS PROPOSED FY 2017 BUDGET REQUEST“] The US Geological Survey (USGS) received bipartisan praise for its nonpartisan scientific research during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the agency’s $1.2 billion Fiscal Year 2017 budget request. “I am among those who appreciate both the work of the USGS…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”HOUSE: SCIENCE COMMITTEE EXAMINES NSF FY 2017 BUDGET REQUEST“] On March 22, a House Science, Space and Technology Research Subcommittee hearing examined the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) FY 2017 budget. During the committee hearing, both Subcommittee Chair Barbara Comstock (R-VA) and Ranking Member Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) expressed general support for the work of the…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”WHITE HOUSE: US, CANADA ANNOUNCE CLIMATE CHANGE PLEDGE“] On March 10, the President Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced their two countries have agreed to a series of efforts to cut methane emissions in the oil and gas sector to mitigate the impacts of global climate change. They also reinforced their commitment to…