{"id":6089,"date":"2011-10-20T17:49:49","date_gmt":"2011-10-20T21:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=6089"},"modified":"2011-10-20T17:49:49","modified_gmt":"2011-10-20T21:49:49","slug":"esa-policy-news-october-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2011\/10\/20\/esa-policy-news-october-20\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA Policy News: October 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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APPROPRIATIONS: SENATE RELEASES INTERIOR SPENDING BILL<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Oct. 14, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies released is funding bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. In total, the bill provides $29.3 billion for programs funded by the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other environmental agencies, slightly less than the $29.5 billion approved for FY 2011. The House bill includes $27.5 billion in funding for FY 2012.<\/p>\n

The bill includes $10.27 billion for the Interior Department in FY 2012, down from the $10.56 billion enacted in FY 2011. EPA would receive $8.62 billion, down from the $8.68 billion enacted in FY 2011. The House bill includes $9.9 billion for Interior and $7.1 billion for EPA.<\/p>\n

For the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) the bill provides $1.08 billion in funding for FY 2012, less than the $1.11 billion provided in FY 2011. The House bill provides approximately $919.22 million for BLM.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) would receive $1.47 billion for FY 2012, less than the $1.5 billion allocated in FY 2011. The House bill provides $1.1 billion for FWS.<\/p>\n

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) would be funded at $1.06 billion for FY 2012, less than the $1.08 billion in funding it received in FY 2011. The House bill includes $1.05 billion for USGS.<\/p>\n

For the U.S. Forest Service, the bill includes $4.56 billion for FY 2012, less than the $4.69 billion allocated in FY 2012. The House bill provides $4.5 billion for the Forest Service.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for additional information on the Senate Interior bill or view the House Interior bill here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ENDANGERED SPECIES: JUDGE THROWS OUT INTERIOR RULE LIMITING POLAR BEAR PROTECTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Oct. 17, a federal judge struck down a George W. Bush administration rule that barred the use of the Endangered Species Act to regulate greenhouse gasses.<\/p>\n

The ruling concerned a rule issued by the U.S. Department of Interior in 2008 that said the polar bear\u2019s designation as threatened in 2008 could not be used as a backdoor way to control greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The rule was subsequently upheld by the Obama administration.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to carry out an environmental review to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). But, importantly, he upheld FWS\u2019s decision that the Endangered Species Act was not the appropriate vehicle to regulate greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n

The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that filed a lawsuit over the 2008 rule, said the decision puts the fate of the polar bear back in the hands of the Obama administration and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Sullivan\u2019s decision directs the Interior Department to respond by Nov. 17 with a timetable for when it will complete the required environmental review.<\/p>\n

HOUSE: COMMITTEE REVIEWS STEM EDUCATION REPORT<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Oct. 12, the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education convened to review a recent report from the National Academies<\/em> entitled \u201c<\/em>Successful K-12 STEM Education:\u00a0 Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The report was requested in 2009 by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), the current Chairman of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee who also spoke at the hearing. Wolf sought to highlight the importance of science education in further overall American competitiveness, asking, \u201cwill the 21st<\/sup> century be the American century or will the 21st<\/sup> century be the Chinese century?\u201d<\/p>\n

Suzanne Wilson, Chair of the Department of Teacher Education in STEM fields at Michigan State University noted the lack of a coordinated effort to prepare and train teachers.\u00a0 \u201cThere are 1,500 school districts in the U.S. and each has an entirely independent portfolio of professional training for its teachers,\u201d she said. \u201cDespite the investment of these material and human resources, teachers seldom receive coordinated guidance about what they should study or have opportunity to select professional development that builds on their previous experiences. This is irresponsible. It has adverse effects for our young people and on our Nation\u2019s position in a rapidly changing world and global economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) touted his bill, H.R. 2547, the No Child Left Inside Act of 2011, noting that it encourages students to partake in innovative science education activities, such as going outdoors on field trips to explore science in their communities. Adam Gamoran, Director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin, told Rep. Sarbanes that the NAS report \u201cwould add fuel to your fire.\u201d Gamoran maintained that the approach of Sarbanes\u2019s bill was consistent with report\u2019s recommendations to further research experiences that go beyond textbooks to actual physical engagement activities.<\/p>\n

View the full hearing here<\/a>. Click here<\/a> to the full National Academies report.<\/p>\n

HOUSE: COMMITTEE REVIEWS ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT IMPLEMENTATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Oct. 13, the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations convened for a hearing entitled \u201cThe Endangered Species Act: Reviewing the Nexus Between Science and Policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his opening statement, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Paul Broun (R-GA) sought to use the proportionally low number of species that have been delisted from the Endangered Species Act as evidence of the law\u2019s failure. \u201cOf the roughly 2,000 species listed as endangered or threatened, only about one percent have actually recovered.\u00a0\u00a0 As a tool for advancing other special interest policy goals, it has certainly been very influential, but I\u2019m not sure that was the Act\u2019s original intent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The majority of witnesses called to testify were critical of the Act. Many asserted that states were appropriately suited to manage the protection of endangered species. \u201cIf recovery goals were optionally deferred to the states, I\u2019m sure that in many instances we would find state-level recovery plans that would be scientifically reliable, science-based and actually deliver greater performance on the act at a lesser cost than the way recovery plans are administered at present,\u201d said Neal Wilkins, Director, Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, Texas A&M University.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ESA works. Less than one percent of listing species have gone extinct since 1973 while ten percent of candidate species still waiting to be listed are gone,\u201d contended Francesca Grifo, Senior Scientist and Director, Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.\u00a0She cautioned that \u201cscience cannot be a mask behind which decision-makers can do anything that special-interests or ideology might dictate. The rightful place for science is as the basis of broad participatory and transparent conversations about how to solve the challenges we face. It is not okay to say the science made me do it while changing the science to justify policy decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

View the full hearing here:<\/a><\/p>\n

SENATE: COMMITTEE EXAMINES ARMY CORPS FLOOD-CONTROL EFFORTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Oct. 19, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee convened for a hearing entitled \u201cA Review of the 2011 Floods and the Condition of the Nation\u2019s Flood Control Systems.\u201d The hearing examined the federal response to the various floods of 2011, focusing primarily on the areas surrounding the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.<\/p>\n

Both Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) expressed support for working on a new Water Resources Development Act while simultaneously voicing disappointment with the burden the current earmark ban places on lawmakers. \u201cWhen you don\u2019t do earmarks or don\u2019t do your appropriations, your authorizations as article 1 section 9 of the Constitution tells us to do, then automatically the president does that and the president doesn\u2019t know what our needs our in Oklahoma,\u201d said Ranking Member Inhofe.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll let that one go,\u201d Chairwoman Boxer joked in response.<\/p>\n

Eight Senators and one Congressman from states along the rivers testified, a number Senate Chairwoman Boxer described as \u201cunprecedented\u201d referring to the hearing as a \u201cbipartisan moment\u201d for the committee. The lawmakers who testified called for the Army Corps to rewrite its \u201cMaster Manual,\u201d which was last updated in 2004 after a 14-year, $33 million public process. The manual specifically dictates how the system, including water levels in six flood-control reservoirs, should be operated to balance the needs for flood control, commercial navigation, the environment and recreation.<\/p>\n

Members from flooded states testifying included Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Ben Nelson (D-NE), John Thune (R-SD), Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO). The lawmakers demanded that flood control be given greater priority.<\/p>\n

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View the full hearing here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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OSTP: REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS ISSUE LETTER CRITICIZING SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY METHODS<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Science and Space Ranking Member David Vitter (R-LA), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent a letter to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren criticizing the administration\u2019s use of science in its decision-making.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe write to ask your assistance in helping us better understand the apparent collapse in the quality of scientific work being conducted at our federal agencies. Specifically, we are concerned with data quality, integrity of methodologies and collection of information, agencies misrepresenting publicly the weight of scientific \u2018facts,\u2019 indefensible representations of scientific conclusions before our federal court system, and our fundamental notions of \u2018sound\u2019 science,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n

The letter cites a National Research Council review of the quality of work that was done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System chemical assessment program in April 2011.\u00a0The letter also references a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in May 2011 criticizing the process that the Department of Energy (DOE) used to shut down a program for turning Yucca Mountain, NV into a long-term storage site for U.S. nuclear waste.<\/p>\n

The lawmakers ask for a response by Nov. 2.\u00a0To read the full Vitter-Inhofe-Issa letter, click here<\/a>.\u00a0To see the full OSTP guidelines, read the Dec. 22 edition of ESA Policy News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AIR POLLUTION: EPA AWARDS UNIVERISITIES FUNDING FOR BLACK CARBON RESEARCH<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Oct. 18, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it had awarded over $6.6 million in grants to eight universities to support black carbon research.\u00a0 EPA\u2019s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program awarded the grants to support research to study the role and impacts of black carbon, which is emitted from a wide variety of sources that burn fossil fuel or biomass.<\/p>\n

Unlike greenhouse gases, which remain in the atmosphere for decades or centuries, black carbon particles only stay in the atmosphere for days or weeks. Consequently, reducing black carbon emissions could have a more immediate effect on the climate than greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n

Award recipients include the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Carnegie Mellon University; the University of California, Irvine; the University of California, Riverside; the University of Iowa; the University of Washington; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Rutgers University.<\/p>\n

View the full EPA press release here<\/a>.\u00a0Additional information on the black carbon research projects can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

EPA: ORGANIZATIONS AWARDED GRANT FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Oct. 18, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $219,000 in grants to organizations across four states that support environmental education initiatives.<\/p>\n

The recent recipients are among the more than 40 organizations across the nation who have received awards by EPA in 2011.\u00a0 These grants are awarded to local and non-profit organizations, government agencies as well as schools and universities who work to advance environmental education. The recipients include Nuskagak-Mulchatna Wood-Tikchik Land Trust\u00a0in Alaska; the University of Idaho; Long Tom Watershed Council in Oregon; and the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.<\/p>\n

View the full EPA press release<\/a> here or learn more about the 2012 grant program<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by Science Policy Analyst Terence Houston. Read the full Policy News here. APPROPRIATIONS: SENATE RELEASES INTERIOR SPENDING BILL On Oct. 14, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies released is funding bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. In total, the bill provides $29.3 billion for programs funded…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,91],"tags":[308,134,63,136,93,1202,1168,401,492],"class_list":["post-6089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ecology-in-policy","category-policy-news","tag-army-corps-of-engineers","tag-congress","tag-endangered-species","tag-endangered-species-act","tag-epa","tag-flood","tag-interior","tag-stem","tag-stem-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6089\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}