{"id":18942,"date":"2022-07-18T17:39:48","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T17:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=18942"},"modified":"2022-08-01T15:20:44","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T15:20:44","slug":"policy-news-july-18-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2022\/07\/18\/policy-news-july-18-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy News: July 18, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this issue:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Congress<\/strong><\/a>
\nHouse is expected to pass all fiscal year 2023 spending bills before the August recess.<\/p>\n

Executive Branch<\/strong><\/a>
\nForest Service and Bureau of Land Management seeking comments on the definition of old growth forests.<\/p>\n

Courts<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Court strikes down Trump administration Endangered Species Act regulations.<\/p>\n

States<\/strong><\/a>
\nVirginia Governor appoints former EPA Administrator to regulatory office.<\/p>\n

International<\/strong><\/a>
\nIPBES releases reports about valuing nature and the use of wild species.<\/p>\n

Scientific Community<\/strong><\/a>
\nNational Weather Service to hold partners webinar.<\/p>\n

Federal Register opportunities<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a> Congress<\/h2>\n

Appropriations:<\/strong>\u00a0The full House is slated to consider a package of six spending bills, including bills funding the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Energy this week. The spending bills largely include increases for ecological science programs, in line with the discretionary spending increases included in the President\u2019s Budget Request (see\u00a0ESA Policy News July 1, 2022<\/a>,\u00a0ESA Policy News June 20, 2022<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Federal Budget Tracker<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Next week, the House is expected to consider another six spending bills, including a bill funding the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The House is aiming to complete all 12 spending bills by the August recess.<\/p>\n

Top House and Senate appropriators are still in negotiations about overall topline spending for defense and non-defense spending.<\/p>\n

Nominations:\u00a0<\/strong>The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a\u00a0confirmation hearing<\/a>\u00a0this Wednesday for Arati Prabhakar, President Biden\u2019s nominee for Office of Science and Technology Policy Director.\u00a0 Prabhakar is an applied physicist who previously led the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. \u00a0If confirmed, Prabhakar would be the first woman and first person of color to be permanent OSTP director.\u00a0<\/p>\n

NDAA:<\/strong>\u00a0The full House passed its version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (H.R 7900). The bill authorizes $839 billion in annual defense spending and sets policy for the Department of Defense for the next year. The bill includes provisions creating a Defense Advanced Research Project Agency fellowship program for early career scientists and protecting public lands in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. The bill includes language permanently banning new mining claims in the area around the Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n

House Natural Resources Committee:<\/strong>\u00a0The full committee voted to advance a bill (H.R. 2764<\/a>) blocking nickel and copper mining near Minnesota\u2019s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, sponsored by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN). The committee voted along party lines, with all Democrats voting to advance the bill.<\/p>\n

Most recently, the Forest Service released a new environment assessment in late June 2022 finding that permitting mining on federal lands in the area will damage water quality in the area. The agency is requesting comments on the environmental assessment and a proposal to withdraw the area from new mineral leasing for 20 years. Comments must be submitted by July 28, 2022.<\/p>\n

Mining in the area has been the subject of political controversy for years \u2014 President Obama recommended a mining withdrawal in this area in 2016, but the Trump administration stopped that process.<\/p>\n

The committee also approved a bill (H.R. 6654<\/a>) from Chair Ra\u00fal Grijalva (D-AZ) permanently authorizing National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers. The bill increases the authorized funding level for the Climate Adaptation Science Centers from $97 million in FY 2023 to $145 million in FY $145 million in FY 2027.<\/p>\n

Education:<\/strong>\u00a0A new Congressional caucus focused on representing the interest of graduate researchers launched July 13.\u00a0The GRAD Caucus<\/a>\u00a0will provide briefings on programs and policies important to graduate researchers, educate members of Congress on the work and impact of graduate researchers, and provide a forum for members to advance policy solutions needed to support these researchers. The group is co-chaired by Reps Mike Doyle (D-PA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and is seeking new members.<\/p>\n

More News:<\/u><\/p>\n