{"id":11461,"date":"2016-03-02T17:24:56","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T22:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=11461"},"modified":"2016-03-02T17:24:56","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T22:24:56","slug":"esa-policy-news-2016-02-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2016\/03\/02\/esa-policy-news-2016-02-03\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA Policy News: Science groups discuss climate on the Hill, Smith seeks more NOAA data, Interior publishes invasive threat framework"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by Policy Analyst Terence Houston. Read the full Policy News\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

POLICY ENGAGEMENT: ESA SCIENTISTS MEET ON CAPITOL HILL TO DISCUSS CLIMATE SCIENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

In February, ESA participated in Climate Science Days, an annual outreach event sponsored by the Climate Science Working Group (CSWG) to advance understanding of climate change research among lawmakers on Capitol Hill.\u00a0 ESA is a CSWG member as are other scientific associations.<\/p>\n

Multiple teams of scientists, paired by geographic location, met with over 100 House and Senate offices and committee staff. Meetings with Republican Senate and House members were given priority along with lawmakers who serve on committees with jurisdiction over climate science issues.<\/p>\n

ESA member participants included Matthew Hurteau (University of New Mexico), Knute Nadelhoffer (University of Michigan) and Adam Rosenblatt (Yale University).<\/p>\n

Other participating CSWG organizations included the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, American Society of Agronomy, American Statistical Association, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the Geological Society of America, the Soil Science Society of America and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.<\/p>\n

HOUSE: SCIENCE COMMITTEE EXPANDS REQUEST FOR NOAA CLIMATE SCIENCE DOCUMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Feb. 22, House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) sent a letter to\u00a0National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) demanding more documents related to the agency\u2019s analyses of\u00a0global temperature data. This follows a previous subpoena sent to NOAA by the Committee on October 13, 2015. So far, NOAA has given the committee 301 pages of emails between NOAA officials (excluding scientists\u2019 emails) regarding a\u00a0study published<\/a>\u00a0last year in the journal Science<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe integrity of federal scientists\u2019 research published in the journal Science<\/em> is being questioned despite a lack of public evidence of scientific misconduct. The progress and integrity of science depend on transparency about the details of scientific methodology and the ability to follow the pursuit of scientific knowledge,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n

Although the Committee is no longer seeking communications from NOAA scientists, the sparring between NOAA and the House Science Committee is likely to continue. So far, NOAA has not made a public statement about the recent request although the original deadline of Feb. 29 to submit the documents to the Committee has passed.<\/p>\n

INTERIOR: NEW FRAMEWORK SEEKS TO IMPROVE FEDEARL RESPONSE TO INVASIVE THREATS<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Department of the Interior (DOI) released a report on Feb. 18: Safeguarding America\u2019s Lands and Waters from Invasive Species: A National Framework for Early Detection and Rapid Response.\u00a0<\/a><\/em>
\n<\/em>
\nThe\u00a0National Invasive Species Council (NISC) assisted DOI in the report\u2019s development, including the US Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, State Department, and Department of Defense.<\/p>\n

The report aims to improve federal agency coordination for early detection and rapid response (EDRR) efforts to eradicate invasive plant and animal species before they become established. It makes five recommendations for federal action:<\/p>\n