\nSixty scientific societies respond to increased scrutiny of foreign influence and espionage in science.<\/p>\n
Administration Finalizes Endangered Species Act Regulations, Environmental Groups Challenge Changes in Courts<\/a><\/strong> Congress<\/a><\/strong> Executive Branch<\/a><\/strong> Courts<\/a><\/strong> States<\/a><\/strong> International<\/a><\/strong> Scientific Community<\/a><\/strong> Federal Register Opportunities<\/a><\/strong> ESA In the News<\/a> Member Opportunities<\/a> Amid increased scrutiny of foreign influence and espionage in science, ESA and 59 other scientific societies and organizations sent a\u00a0letter<\/a> to the heads of U.S. federal science agencies urging that \u201cwhile we must be vigilant to safeguard research, we must also ensure that the U.S. remains a desirable and welcoming destination for researchers from around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The Trump administration finalized a set of changes to the Endangered Species Act regulations weakening protections for listed species. Changes would allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA NMFS) incorporate economic considerations into listing decisions and reverse a long-standing rule that automatically gives threatened species similar protections as endangered species, known as the blanket 4(d) rule. Another change codifies the definition of \u201cforeseeable future\u201d as the timeframe in which predictions about the future are \u201cmore likely than not\u201d and \u201creliable.\u201d This change could impact how federal agencies incorporate climate change impacts into species protections.<\/p>\n An\u00a0analysis<\/a>\u00a0of the regulations by the Environmental Policy Innovation Center found that, of the 33 changes \u2013 five changes will harm conservation, six changes\u2019 impact on conservation will depend on agency implementation, 17 changes will have a negligible impact on conservation and five changes will help conservation. All of the changes that help conservation are minor changes \u2013 these include changes that will streamline how USFWS and NOAA NMFS consult with other federal agencies on endangered species protections and collaborate on species conservation.<\/p>\n Eight environmental groups filed a lawsuit challenging the regulations, claiming the federal government did not analyze the environmental impacts of the changes as required by the National Environmental Policy Act and inserted new provisions into the final regulations without holding a required public comment period.<\/p>\n A top Interior lawyer, Karen Budd-Falen, said that the changes are just the first of a series of revisions to the Endangered Species Act regulations. Other upcoming changes will include a definition of habitat under the Endangered Species Act and revisions to a provision that allows the Interior Department to consider economic costs when designating critical habitat for species. The White House Office of Management and Budget\u2019s Unified Agenda, which provides a preview of upcoming regulations, notes that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service plan to release a proposed rule revising the agencies\u2019 interpretation of the phrase \u201csignificant portion of range\u201d in the ESA.<\/p>\n The Congressional Western Caucus also plans a legislative package addressing the Endangered Species Act this fall. A similar package of bills from the caucus failed to advance during the previous Congress. Separately, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) continues work on another legislative proposal to \u201cmodernize\u201d the ESA.<\/p>\n House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis:\u00a0The committee issued a\u00a0request for information<\/a>, seeking stakeholder input on how Congress and the U.S. government should respond to the climate crisis and \u201clead an ambitious transition to clean energy and resilience that puts Americans to work, builds a just economy, unleashes American ingenuity, and prepares communities for the impacts of climate change.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0The document asks for policy recommendations detailing how Congress can help communities become more climate resilient and how to increase carbon storage in agriculture, forests, oceans and federal lands and decrease greenhouse gas emissions from these sectors.<\/p>\n BLM Relocation:<\/strong>\u00a0As Congress returns from its\u2019 summer recess, the House Natural Resources Committee plans a Sept. 10\u00a0oversight hearing<\/a>\u00a0for the Interior Department\u2019s plan to move the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction, CO.<\/p>\n Senate Interior Appropriations Ranking Member Tom Udall (D-NM) and House Interior Appropriations Chair Betty McCollum (D-MN) indicated that they will try to stop the move. Udall and McCollum\u00a0sent a letter<\/a>\u00a0to the Interior Department expressing their concerns that the plan is \u201cdesigned to reduce the Bureau\u2019s effectiveness and relevance\u201d and urging the agency to immediately suspend the move.<\/p>\n White House:\u00a0<\/strong>President Trump\u00a0asked<\/a>\u00a0Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to exempt the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from the Forest Service\u2019s roadless rule, effectively opening up more half of the 16.7 million-acre forest to logging and other extractive activities.<\/p>\n White House\/OSTP:<\/strong>\u00a0Acting Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegmeier sent a\u00a0memo<\/a>\u00a0to agency heads detailing the administration\u2019s budget priorities for research and development, as agencies start to prepare their budgets for fiscal year 2021.\u00a0For the first time during the Trump administration, the memo names ocean exploration and research and development \u201cthat improves understanding of and supports effective responses to changes in the ocean system\u201d as a priority. Another new priority is \u201cearth system predictability,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0which Vought and Droegmeier describe as understanding the extent to which components of the earth system can be predicted \u2013 from individual storms to long-term global change. The memo instructs agencies to \u201cprioritize R&D that helps quantify Earth system predictability across multiple phenomena, time and space scales.\u201d<\/p>\n The recently established\u00a0Joint Committee on Research Environments<\/a>\u00a0(JCORE) memo includes priorities such as addressing sexual harassment, reducing administrative burdens on researchers, and protecting research assets from espionage and foreign interference.<\/p>\n NSF:<\/strong>\u00a0A webinar for individuals, teams and organizations interested in applying to manage and operate the National Ecological Observatory Network will be held Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. Eastern time. NSF announced in July 2019 that it will recompete the award to manage NEON in a\u00a0Dear Colleague letter.<\/a>\u00a0Battelle Memorial Institute is tasked with managing NEON through 2021. The webinar will cover the timeline for executing the competition, key decision points by NSF, critical dates for activities related to the competition, and information on the post-award oversight requirements for awards managed through cooperative agreements. Register online\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Directorate for Biological Sciences plans a series of virtual town hall meetings the week of Sept. 16, 2019, about reintegrating and unifying biology across disciplines.<\/strong>\u00a0Information and registration is available at\u00a0reintergratingbiology.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n NSB:<\/strong>\u00a0The first two parts of the 2020 Science and Engineering Indicators reports\u00a0are now available<\/a>. The reports cover\u00a0national U.S. trends in\u00a0national trends in K-12 student achievement<\/a>\u00a0in science and mathematics and\u00a0higher education trends in science and engineering<\/a>. The National Science Board plans to release further, thematic reports on the state of science and engineering in the U.S. throughout 2020.<\/p>\n NOAA:\u00a0The agency\u00a0reiterated<\/a>\u00a0President Trump\u2019s claim that Hurricane Dorian would impact Alabama and disavowed a tweet from the National Weather Service\u2019s Birmingham, AL office refuting Trump\u2019s claim. The American Meteorological Society\u00a0defended<\/a>\u00a0the Birmingham office<\/strong>, calling the pushback to the tweet \u201cunwarranted\u201d and said that the office\u2019s staff \u201cshould have been commended for their quick action based on science in clearly communicating the lack of threat to the citizens of Alabama.\u201d NOAA\u2019s acting chief scientist\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0agency staff that he is investigating whether the statement defending President Trump violates the agency\u2019s scientific integrity policy.<\/p>\n A regional official in the National Marine Fisheries Service\u00a0blocked<\/a>\u00a0the release of an over thousand-page scientific report analyzing how the Trump administration\u2019s water management plan will harm federally threatened and endangered Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead and Southern Resident killer whales.<\/strong>\u00a0The water management plan aims to increase the quantity of water available for agriculture. The Los Angeles Times posted the\u00a0leaked report<\/a>\u00a0online.<\/p>\n EPA:<\/strong>\u00a0The agency\u00a0released<\/a>\u00a0a proposed water quality certification rule limiting the states\u2019 ability to block projects under section 401 of the Clean Water Act designed to expedite natural gas pipelines and other energy-related infrastructure.<\/strong>\u00a0Coastal states, such as Washington state and New York, have used their authority under section 401 to block fossil fuel export facilities and pipelines in their states, citing air quality and climate concerns. The proposed rule would prevent states from considering concerns other than water quality during the certification process and aims to accelerate the process, giving states one year to complete their analysis after they have received a \u201ccertification request.\u201d Currently, some states will take more that year to complete the certification, dependent on when the state receives a permit application from a developer. The proposed rule comes in response to an April 2019 Executive Order promoting energy infrastructure development. The proposal is open for public comment on the\u00a0Federal Register<\/a>\u00a0through Oct. 21, 2019.<\/p>\n Another new proposed rule stops the EPA from directly regulating methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Methane accounts for almost 10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Instead, if the rule is finalized, the EPA will only regulate volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which could also reduce methane emissions. The EPA argues that efforts to regulate both VOCs and methane are redundant. The proposed rule would also stop the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry\u2019s storage and transmission sector.<\/p>\n Pipelines:<\/strong>\u00a0A federal appeals courts ruled in favor of opponents to a Nexus natural gas pipeline, requiring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rejustify its approval of the project. The pipeline would carry natural gas through Ohio and Michigan for export to Canada and would require the use of eminent domain. The pipeline opponents argued that a provision in the Natural Gas Act allowing for the use of eminent domain does not apply to international pipelines.<\/p>\n Pollinators<\/strong>:\u00a0The Pollinator Stewardship Council, the American Beekeeping Federation and Beekeeper Jeffery S. Anderson are\u00a0challenging<\/a>\u00a0the EPA\u2019s decision to expand the use of the pesticide sulfoxador in the courts.<\/strong>\u00a0The EPA has called sufoxaflor \u201cvery highly toxic\u201d to bees (see ESA Policy News, July 29, 2019<\/a>). The beekeepers, represented by Earthjustice, say that the agency violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act when it did not open hold a public comment period before making its final decision.<\/p>\n National Monuments:\u00a0A federal district judge rejected a lawsuit filed by two Oregon timber companies that argued that President Obama exceeded his legal authority under the Antiquities Act when he added 48,000 acres to the Cascade-Siskiyou national monument in 2017.<\/strong>\u00a0The timber companies contested that about 40,000 acres of the addition were already designated under the Oregon and California Revested Lands Act to be managed for commercial forest production. The court decision notes that the Bureau of Land Management had already removed the majority of the area from timber production. This decision affirms a magistrate judge\u2019s recommendation, which was released in April 2019.<\/p>\n Sonoran Desert Tortoise<\/strong>:\u00a0Two environmental groups, Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guards,\u00a0filed a lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\u2019s 2015\u00a0decision\u00a0to not list the Sonoran Desert Tortoise under the\u00a0Endangered\u00a0Species Act.<\/strong>\u00a0The groups argue that the decision ignored the best\u00a0available\u00a0science about the threats to the tortoise, including climate change and livestock grazing.<\/p>\n Alaska:<\/strong>\u00a0Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) and University of Alaska Board of Regents Chairman John Davies\u00a0reached an agreement<\/a>\u00a0to reduce budgets cuts to the university system.\u00a0The compact would cut state funding by $25 million this state fiscal year, and would reduce university funding by $25 million next year and $20 million in 2021<\/strong>. In late June 2019, Dunleavy issued a veto that would have reduced state funding for university by $135 million which led to threats of lay-offs for tenured faculty and severe impacts to climate research, biological collections and more. Davies and University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen warned that this budget reduction will still likely lead to lay-offs and cuts to programs.<\/p>\n North Carolina:<\/strong>\u00a0Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality\u00a0released<\/a>\u00a0a\u00a0draft clean energy plan<\/a>\u00a0intended to reduce the state\u2019s power sector greenhouse gas emissions by 60% to 70% by 2030 and bring the state to carbon-neutrality by 2050.<\/strong>\u00a0The plan would require actions by the Republican-controlled state legislature to be fully implemented, but Cooper can still act on some items in the plan without the legislature.<\/p>\n Separately, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission is\u00a0reconsidering<\/a>\u00a0a provision that prohibits its science advisers from predicting the impacts of sea level rise more than 30 years in the future.<\/p>\n Clean Power Plan:\u00a0The Attorneys General of 22 states, the District of Columbia and six cities\u00a0filed a lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0challenging the Affordable Clean Energy rule<\/strong>, the Trump administration\u2019s replacement to the Clean Power Plan. The lawsuit claims that the rule violates the EPA\u2019s legal responsibility to address carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act. The Clean Power Plan, which aimed to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, was never fully implemented. The Supreme Court blocked the Clean Power Plan after Republican-led states challenged the rule in the courts.<\/p>\n IPBES:<\/strong>\u00a0The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is currently seeking experts in natural science, social science, policy, and\/or indigenous and local knowledge systems to assist with the scoping of two new thematic assessments;<\/strong>\u00a0one on the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health (initial scoping document can be found\u00a0here<\/a>), and a second on the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and the determinants of transformative\u00a0<\/strong>change\u00a0and options for achieving the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity\u00a0(initial scoping document can be found\u00a0here<\/a>). Interested experts in the U.S. can email their CV and a short paragraph (400 words maximum) about their interest in the opportunity and what they hope to contribute to Sarah Weiskopf at\u00a0sweiskopf@usgs.gov<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Oct. 4, 2019.<\/p>\n IPBES opened its draft sustainable use assessment for external review and comment. See the\u00a0announcement<\/a>\u00a0to apply to be an external reviewer.<\/p>\n IPCC:<\/strong>\u00a0A United Nations\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0on climate change and land change finds that agriculture, forestry and other land uses account for 23% of the world\u2019s carbon emissions and 70% of the world\u2019s ice-free land surface is already being used by humans.<\/strong>\u00a0Reducing carbon emissions from land would require major changes to the world\u2019s food system and efforts to plant trees to reduce CO2 levels could increase food shortages and prices.<\/p>\n CITES:<\/strong>\u00a0Delegates at the Convention on International in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES)\u00a0agreed<\/a>\u00a0to protect 130 species for the first time under the agreement and increased protections for nine species at a summit in Sri Lanka.<\/strong>\u00a0Species protected include giraffes, mako sharks, wedgefishes and guitarfishes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n NEON:<\/strong>\u00a0The National Ecological Observatory Network is recruiting new members for its Technical Working Groups and the Science, Technology and Education Advisory Committee (STEAC) for 2020.\u00a0See the\u00a0NEON website<\/a>\u00a0for more information on the Technical Working Groups and the STEAC and how to apply to join.<\/p>\n NSF Fellowships: <\/strong>Analysis of National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipients<\/a>\u00a0by Science Magazine and ecologist Matthew Cover of California State University, Stanislaus finds that\u00a0GRFP awards primarily go to students at the same universities. Thirty-one percent of awards went to the top 10 schools and 14% of awards went to three universities<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 the University of California, Berkley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The vast majority of awards \u2013 86% \u2014 went to R1 universities in 2017.<\/p>\n Sustaining Biological Infrastructure:<\/strong>\u00a0The deadline to sign up for\u00a0ESA\u2019s Strategies for Success course<\/a>\u00a0Oct. 15-17 in Fort Collins, CO has been extended until Sept. 13! Come spend three days honing your strategic planning, communication, and fundraising skills while you develop a sustainability plan to futureproof your project.\u00a0Register now<\/a>, and find out more about the colleague discount program!<\/p>\n Visit this page on ESA\u2019s website for updates on opportunities from the Federal Register<\/a>,\u00a0including upcoming meetings and regulations open for public comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/a> We are expanding the Society\u2019s Rapid Response Team (RRT), a diverse group of about 50 ecologists who are subject matter experts and help ESA address policy and media opportunities in a timely and effective manner.\u00a0ESA invites any member to apply to be a member of the RRT. By applying, you are raising ESA\u2019s ability to connect ecologists with policymakers and to provide information to the media.<\/strong><\/p>\n One of ESA\u2019s central missions is to share ecological information with policymakers and members of the media. Since the Society opened its Public Affairs Office in 1983, ESA has served as a trusted source of ecological information. The establishment of the RRT in 2005 enhanced our ability to respond to time-sensitive issues, such as 2010\u2019s BP oil spill and to the more recent Hurricanes Irma and Maria. ESA also encourages RRT members to alert the Society to policy issues or other opportunities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Find more and how to apply here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n ESA\u2019s policy activities work to infuse ecological knowledge into national policy decisions through activities such as policy statements, Capitol Hill briefings, Congressional Visits Days, and coalition involvement. Policy News Updates are bi-monthly summaries of major environmental and science policy news. They are produced by the Public Affairs Office of the Ecological Society of America.<\/p>\n Send questions or comments to\u00a0 Alison Mize, director of public affairs,\u00a0Alison@esa.org<\/a>\u00a0or Nicole Zimmerman, public affairs manager,\u00a0Nicole@esa.org<\/a><\/p>\n
\nChanges would allow agencies incorporate economic considerations into listing decisions and reverse a rule that automatically gives threatened species similar protections as endangered species.<\/p>\n
\nHouse Select Committee on the Climate Crisis requests stakeholder input.<\/p>\n
\nOffice of Science and Technology Policy memo instructs agencies to prioritize \u201cearth systems predictability research.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nBeekeepers challenge the EPA\u2019s approval of the expanded use of sulfoxador.<\/p>\n
\n22 State Attorneys General challenge the Trump administration\u2019s replacement for the Clean Power Plan.<\/p>\n
\nIPBES seeks experts to assist with scoping for two upcoming thematic assessments.<\/p>\n
\nNEON is recruiting new members for its technical working groups and the Science, Technology and Education Advisory Committee for 2020.<\/p>\n
\nUpcoming meetings and other opportunities for public involvement.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>View an up-to-date list of ESA\u2019s media coverage.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Apply to join the Rapid Response Team.<\/p>\nMulti-society Letter on Foreign Influence <\/a> <\/h2>\n
Administration Finalizes Endangered Species Act Regulations, Environmental Groups Challenge Changes in Courts<\/a><\/h2>\n
Congress <\/a><\/h2>\n
Executive Branch <\/a><\/h2>\n
Courts<\/a><\/h2>\n
States<\/a><\/h2>\n
International<\/a><\/h2>\n
Scientific Community <\/a><\/h2>\n
Federal Register Opportunities<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
ESA in the News<\/h2>\n
\nESA regularly issues press releases to the media about journal articles and other Society news. Press coverage is kept up-to-date on our \u201cIn the News\u201d page.\u00a0Check out news stories here<\/a>.<\/p>\nESA Correspondence to Policymakers<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a>Call for New ESA Rapid Response Team Members<\/a>
![\"memberopportunities\"](\"https:\/\/static.ctctcdn.com\/ui\/images1\/s.gif\" "\\"memberopportunities\\"")
<\/h2>\n