{"id":17907,"date":"2021-02-22T19:50:25","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T19:50:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=17907"},"modified":"2021-02-22T20:19:50","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T20:19:50","slug":"special-policy-news-3-the-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2021\/02\/22\/special-policy-news-3-the-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Policy News 3: The Transition"},"content":{"rendered":"

In This Issue:<\/strong><\/h1>\n

White House National Climate Task Forces Meets for the First Time<\/a>
\n<\/strong>New Climate Innovation Working Group will work towards an Advanced Research Projects Agency \u2013 Climate<\/p>\n

Congress<\/a>
\n<\/strong>House Science Committee and House Natural Resource Committee announces Committee leadership.<\/p>\n

Executive Branch<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Acting U.S. Geological Survey Director rescinded memo restricting how agency scientists use climate change models and data.<\/p>\n

Courts<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Federal judge upholds sage grouse habitat protections.<\/p>\n

Scientific Community<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Congressional Research Service hiring for 12 new science and technology positions.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Events<\/a><\/strong>
\nESA webinar: Connecting with the 117th Congress on March 11 at 12:00pm.<\/p>\n

What We\u2019re Reading<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

ESA In the News<\/a><\/strong>
\nView an up-to-date list of ESA\u2019s media coverage.<\/p>\n

ESA Correspondence to Policymakers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Opportunities to Get Involved<\/strong><\/a>
\nFederal Register opportunities.<\/p>\n

White House National Climate Task Force Meets for the First Time<\/h2>\n

<\/a>
\nThe administration launched a Climate Innovation Working Group, as part of the first meeting of Biden\u2019s National Climate Task Force. This group is co-chaired by the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget and will work to coordinate and strengthen efforts to develop climate change mitigation technologies and reach Biden\u2019s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.<\/p>\n

Part of this work will include advancing the President Biden\u2019s campaign promise to start an Advanced Research Projects Agency \u2013 Climate (ARPA-C). This agency would be similar to the Advanced Research Projects Agency \u2013 Energy (ARPA-E), which provides grants for high-risk, high reward research projects that the private sector will not support. Coinciding with this announcement, ARPA-E issued a $100 million grant program for low carbon energy projects.<\/p>\n

Separately, Biden\u2019s White House Council on Environmental Quality withdrew issued by the previous administration a draft guidance document that instructed federal agencies to downplay the impacts of federal projects on greenhouse gas emissions during National Environmental Policy Act analysis. The Trump administration never finalized this guidance after repealing an Obama White House guidance document by issuing a executive order titled \u201cPromoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senate Committee to Hold Confirmation Hearing for Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources will hold a\u00a0confirmation hearing<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for Rep. Deb Haaland\u2019s (D-NM) nomination to be secretary of the Interior Department tomorrow at 9:30 am. If confirmed, Haaland would be the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. Before the hearing, Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) indicated that he is likely to oppose Haaland\u2019s nomination. Committee member Steve Daines (R-MT) vowed to block Haaland\u2019s nomination, citing her support for President Biden\u2019s executive order pausing new oil and gas leases on federal lands.<\/p>\n

President Joe Biden nominated David Turk to be deputy secretary of the Department of Energy. Turk worked for the Energy and State Departments during the Obama administration. He is currently the deputy executive director for the International Energy Agency, which advises Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries about energy policy. Previously, Biden nominated former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to serve as the secretary of Energy.<\/p>\n

The full Senate is expected to consider Tom Vilsack\u2019s nomination to be the secretary of Agriculture this week. Senate Committees approved the nominations of Jennifer Granholm (D) as Energy secretary, Michael Regan to be EPA administrator and Gina Raimondo to be Commerce secretary. The full Senate has not scheduled votes for these nominations. For more details on the nominations process, see the\u00a0ESA Transition Tracker.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Congress<\/h2>\n

<\/a>
\nStimulus:<\/strong>\u00a0Congress is\u00a0expected<\/a>\u00a0to advance a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package this week. The spending package includes $130 billion for schools, including $40 billion for higher education institutions. Colleges and universities are expected to use at least half of this funding for emergency financial aid for students. The package does not include research relief provisions that the scientific community, including ESA, have requested.<\/p>\n

After Congress completes stimulus talks, Congress and the administration are expected to take up an infrastructure package. The infrastructure bill could have a price tag of up $4 trillion and is expected to include climate provisions.<\/p>\n

Public lands:\u00a0<\/strong>The full House is expected to consider the Protecting America\u2019s Wilderness Act this week. This bill contains eight natural resources bills, all of which were previously introduced during the previous 116th<\/sup>\u00a0Congress. Most of these bills passed the House of Representatives in the 116th<\/sup>\u00a0Congress but did not advance in the Senate.<\/p>\n