Pandemic Response House Legislation Includes Funding for Science, Wildlife Disease<\/strong><\/a> Webinar: Invasive Species Policy and COVID-19<\/strong><\/a> National Science Board Unveils Visions 2030 Report, Charts Impacts of COVID-19 on the National Science Foundation<\/strong><\/a> NSF Biological Sciences Advisory Committee Meets Amid Pandemic, Discuss COVID-19 impacts, switch to no-deadlines and more.<\/strong><\/a> Congress<\/strong><\/a> Executive Branch<\/strong><\/a> States<\/strong><\/a> Scientific Community<\/strong><\/a> ESA In the News<\/strong><\/a> Opportunities to Get Involved<\/strong><\/a> <\/a> The $3 trillion bill includes $125 million for the National Science Foundation \u201cto prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.\u201d Lawmakers direct NSF to allocate $1 million of that funding toward a study of \u201cthe spread of COVID-19 related disinformation.\u201d NSF may use two percent of this funding for award management and oversight. The agency received $76 million in the CARES Act for research related to COVID-19. As of May 12, NSF awarded 400 RAPID grants for coronavirus research across the scientific disciplines, totaling $52 million.<\/p>\n The EPA receives $50 million for environmental justice grants, including money for research investigating links between pollution exposure and the transmission and health outcomes of coronavirus in environmental justice communities.<\/p>\n The U.S. Geological Survey receives $40 million for technical assistance, biosurveillance of wildlife and environmental persistence studies and related research. The bill directs the USGS National Wildlife Health Center to \u201cestablish and maintain a national database of wildlife disease, including diseases that cause a human health risk.\u201d \u00a0Lawmakers instruct the National Wildlife Health Center to create, validate and deploy wildlife disease diagnostic tests and develop strategies for mitigating wildlife disease, including a framework for risk assessments.<\/p>\n Furthermore, lawmakers authorize the USGS to collaborate with the U.S. Agency for International Development and strengthen global capacity for wildlife health monitoring. It directs funds for projects to build wildlife disease diagnostic capacity, to create monitoring systems, and to provide technical assistance in countries that have a high risk for disease pathogen spillover.<\/p>\n In March, ESA\u00a0asked lawmakers<\/a>\u00a0to include funding for wildlife disease research programs such as the National Wildlife Health Center in the coronavirus response legislation.<\/p>\n A section in the bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s National Marine Fisheries Service, in consultation with the Center for Disease Control and the USGS, to draft a list of \u201cinjurious species\u201d that could pose a biohazard risk to human health. An \u201cinjurious species\u201d listing would prohibit the import and transport of those species, including transportation of injurious species across state lines. This section titled the Wildlife-Borne Disease Prevention Act amends the Lacey Act, which allows USFWS to determine that some species are injurious to the interests of human beings, agriculture, horticulture, forestry or wildlife of the United States and prohibit their importation.<\/p>\n USFWS receives $71 million in the Heroes Act with $21 million going to the implementation of the Wildlife-Borne Disease Prevention Act and $50 million to be distributed to states and tribes for surveillance, research, management, and education relating to emerging wildlife disease.<\/p>\n The final version of the Heroes Act approved by the full House includes the Scientific Integrity Act (H.R. 1709<\/a>), which codifies a 2010 memorandum on scientific integrity issued by former Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren. This bill requires agencies to train employees on scientific integrity and to report on their progress in implementing scientific integrity policies.<\/p>\n ESA is pleased to welcome an esteemed panel to discuss a short history of policy and responses to previous invasive species. Speakers will discuss pathogens and how ecological research can inform policy and contribute knowledge to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species.<\/p>\n Thursday, May 21 at \u00a02:00 PM \u2013 3:00 PM EDT<\/p>\n Moderated by Jim Carlton, Williams College, Emeritus<\/p>\n Panel:<\/strong><\/p>\n Dan Simberloff, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Click to register<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a> At the conclusion of the meeting, several NSB members rotated off the board, including Board Chair Diane Souvaine. The board\u00a0elected<\/a>\u00a0Ellen Ochoa to replace Souvaine as chair and Victor McCray to serve vice chair. Previously, Ochoa served as the vice-chair of the NSB and she is the former director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. McCray is a chemist and the vice president for research and graduate programs at the University of the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n To see the full post and highlights of interest to the ecological science community, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a> To see the full post and highlights of interest to the ecological science community, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a> Elsewhere, the legislation reauthorizes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and increases authorized funding to $375 million a year. The bill also creates Environmental Protection Agency national program offices covering restoration programs in the San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound and Lake Tahoe.<\/p>\n The bill includes a provision codifying the EPA\u2019s \u201cEJScreen\u201d environmental justice mapping screening tool.<\/p>\n Legislative updates:<\/strong><\/p>\n See ESA\u2019s\u00a0Legislative Tracker<\/a>\u00a0for more updates on legislation relevant to the ecological community.<\/p>\n <\/a> NIFA<\/strong>: Director J. Scott Angle\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0that he will leave the agency to lead the University of Florida\u2019s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, which includes the university\u2019s agricultural extension service, the Florida Agricultural Experimental Station and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Angle joined the USDA in October 2018 and saw the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)\u2019s move from Washington, DC to Kansas City, MO. The president appoints NIFA directors for six-year terms.<\/p>\n The Union of Concerned Scientists and American Oversight filed a lawsuit May 13 seeking documents related to the USDA\u2019s decision to move NIFA and the Economic Research Service to Kansas City. The lawsuit alleges that the USDA failed to release some documents as required under the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n NASA:<\/strong>\u00a0Karen St. Germain\u00a0will join<\/a>\u00a0the agency as the director of its Earth Science Division in June. St. Germain is currently the deputy assistant administrator for NOAA\u2019s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service. She has also worked for the Department of Defense and as a researcher at the University of Massachusetts, the University of Nebraska, and the Naval Research Laboratory. Michael Freilich, the longtime director of NASA\u2019s Earth Science Division, retired in 2019.<\/p>\n NOAA:<\/strong>\u00a0The agency\u2019s research branch\u00a0launched<\/a>\u00a0an effort to examine the impacts of coronavirus on the environment. This effort includes detecting changes in air pollution, determining the effects of reduced airline traffic on cloud formation and running aerial sampling flights to understand changes in greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n USFWS:<\/strong>\u00a0The agency\u00a0added<\/a>\u00a0the island marbled butterfly to the federal list of endangered species and designated 812 acres of critical habitat for the butterfly. The new critical habitat is almost exclusively within Washington state\u2019s San Juan Island National Historical Park. Threats to the species include insecticides applications within its habitat and potential roadkill, as the butterflies are attracted to white stripes on roads.<\/p>\n Another USFWS final rule<\/a> lists the southern Sierra Nevada population of fisher as a threatened species while declining to extend Endangered Species Act protections for the Northern California\/Southern Oregon fisher population. Fishers are small forest carnivores.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> ELI:<\/strong>\u00a0A May 21 webinar will explore how state, local and federal stakeholders can collaborate with tribes to\u00a0return prescribed burning practices to indigenous communities. Participants must\u00a0register<\/a>\u00a0by May 19.<\/p>\n NASEM:<\/strong>\u00a0A new report from the National Academies,\u00a0A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time<\/a>\u00a0highlights new initiatives, infrastructure, and partnerships needed to answer priority earth science research questions in the next decade. The National Academies will hold a\u00a0webinar<\/a>\u00a0to discuss the report and its recommendations May 19.<\/p>\n EPA:<\/strong>\u00a0ESA and 37 other scientific, engineering and academic organizations\u00a0submitted comments<\/a>\u00a0opposing the EPA\u2019s proposed \u201cTransparency in Science\u201d rule. The organizations find that \u201cthis rule and supplemental are not about strengthening science, but about undermining the ability of the EPA to use the best available science in setting policies and regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> View more letters and testimony from ESA\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a> Opportunities for Public Comment and Nominations:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe latest coronavirus bill includes $125 million for NSF.<\/p>\n
\nSpeakers will explore how ecological research can inform policy and contribute knowledge to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species.<\/p>\n
\nReport urges action to retain America\u2019s lead in fundamental research and to increase STEM skills and opportunities for all Americans.<\/p>\n
\nNumber of grants proposals submitted to the BIO directorate declines with the switch to no-deadlines,<\/p>\n
\nSenate Environment and Public Works Committee approves water infrastructure bill.<\/p>\n
\nPresident Trump issues aquaculture executive order.<\/p>\n
\nAttorney Generals challenge EPA suspension of enforcement activities.<\/p>\n
\nScientific organizations oppose the EPA\u2019s proposed \u201cTransparency in Science\u201d rule.<\/p>\n
\nView an up-to-date list of ESA\u2019s media coverage.<\/p>\n
\nFederal Register opportunities.<\/p>\nPandemic Response Legislation Includes Funding for Science, Wildlife Disease<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nHouse Democrats\u2019 latest\u00a0coronavirus pandemic response bill<\/a>, the Heroes Act (H.R. 6800<\/a>), provides additional funding for science and includes new provisions funding wildlife disease work and addressing invasive species policy. The full House voted to approve the legislation May 15. The bill\u2019s fate in the Senate remains unclear \u2013 House Democrats still need to negotiate with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), other Senate leaders and the White House.<\/p>\nWebinar: Invasive Species Policy and COVID-19<\/strong>
\n<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nLaura Meyerson, University of Rhode Island
\nNina Fefferman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville<\/p>\nNational Science Board Unveils Visions 2030 Report, Charts Impacts of COVID-19 on the National Science Foundation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nThe National Science Board (NSB), the oversight body for all of NSF who serve as independent science advisors to the president and Congress, met May 5 and 6. The meeting marked the full board\u2019s first meeting held during the coronavirus pandemic. The marquee item on the agency was the release of the NSB\u00a0Visions 2030 report<\/a>, which charts a path for the U.S. to remain preeminent in science and engineering.<\/p>\nNSF Biological Sciences Advisory Committee Meets Amid Pandemic, Discuss COVID-19 impacts, Switch to No-Deadlines and more<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nThe National Science Foundation\u2019s Biological Science\u2019s Advisory Committee (BIO AC) held a virtual, abbreviated meeting April 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The committee, composed of biological and ecological scientists from across the research enterprise, typically meets twice a year for a two-day in-person meeting.<\/p>\nCongress<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nSenate Environment and Public Works Committee<\/strong>: The full committee advanced the America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (S. 3591<\/a>). The sweeping legislation allows the Environmental Protection Agency to provide technical to assistance to states, tribes and local governments in eradicating invasive species in waterways. It also directs the Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 Research and Development Center to include invasive species prevention research in its work. It directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish a pilot program to address invasive species in alpine lakes. Lawmakers included a provision from Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) directing the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to develop technologies and approaches to identify, target, and eliminate invasive species that threaten Everglades restoration.<\/p>\n\n
Executive Branch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nWhite House:<\/strong>\u00a0President Trump\u00a0issued<\/a>\u00a0an executive order aimed at reducing regulatory roadblocks to marine aquaculture in federal waters and promoting American seafood. The order tasks the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with leading federal permitting for aquaculture and instructs NOAA to complete reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act within two years.<\/p>\nStates<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nEnvironmental Enforcement:<\/strong>\u00a0Nine states\u2019 Attorneys General, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James,\u00a0filed<\/a>\u00a0a lawsuit challenging the EPA\u2019s decision to suspend enforcement of environmental laws amid the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\nScientific Community<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nPolicy Briefs:<\/strong>\u00a0The Stanford Woods Institute of the Environment released two new research briefs\u00a0Climate Change Increases California Wildfire Risk<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Forest Loss and Human Activity Leads to Disease Transmission<\/a>. The wildfire brief examines how hotter, drier weather driven by climate change has noticeably increased across California, leading to conditions conducive to a longer, more intense wildfire season. The disease brief discusses how human expansion into forests and natural lands increases the chances for wild animal contact, which then provides opportunities for infectious disease transmission.<\/p>\nWhat We\u2019re Reading<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
ESA In the News<\/strong><\/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<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Opportunities to get involved<\/h2>\n
\nVirtual public meetings and conference calls:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n