{"id":9384,"date":"2013-09-13T17:05:39","date_gmt":"2013-09-13T21:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=9384"},"modified":"2013-09-13T17:05:39","modified_gmt":"2013-09-13T21:05:39","slug":"esa-policy-news-september-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2013\/09\/13\/esa-policy-news-september-13\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA Policy News: September 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by Policy Analyst Terence Houston.\u00a0 Read the full Policy News\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>\"\"<\/a>BUDGET: CONGRESS EXPECTED TO PUNT PRIORITY FUNDING<\/strong> ISSUES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Congress returned this week with votes planned on legislation to authorize military force against Syria in response to the use of chemical weapons as well as a bill to a continuing resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government while Congress negotiates an agreement on government program spending levels for Fiscal Year 2014, which begins October 1. While diplomatic breakthroughs abroad postponed the Syria vote, partisan breakdowns and internal strife among the Republican conference has put the CR in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

This week, the House introduced a CR to provide government funding through Dec. 15, 2013. With an overall spending level of $988 billion, the funding level in the initial proposal was slightly less than the current post-sequester spending levels, costing it the support of the House Democratic caucus. However, the bill also ultimately lacked the support of a majority of the Republican conference as many GOP members stated they were unlikely to support a CR that does not fully defund the Affordable Care Act \u00a0(P.L. 111-148), also known as \u201cObamacare.\u201d<\/p>\n

In attempt to appease tea party Republicans, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) sought to also hold a vote on a concurrent resolution to force the Senate to vote to defund the Affordable Care Act in FY 2014. Conservative advocacy groups complained that this effort does not go far enough in that the Senate could easily block the concurrent resolution while allowing the CR to pass. These organizations, which include Heritage Action and the Club for Growth, lambasted the Affordable Care Act defunding resolution as a political gimmick. House Republican leaders originally planned to vote on the legislation this week, but are now postponing a vote until next week in an effort to negotiate an agreement that can win a majority in the House. Leader Cantor also announced the House may cancel its scheduled district work period for the week of Sept. 23 if a deal on the CR is not reached in the near future.<\/p>\n

SCIENCE: CONSERVATIVES PULL BIPARTISAN LAUREATES BILL<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the beginning of the week, the House was set to vote on H.R. 1891, the Science Laureates of the United States Act of 2013, until conservative groups got wind of the measure.<\/p>\n

The bill would allow the president to appoint a Science Laureate of the United States. Modeled after the Library of Congress\u2019s Poet Laureate, the appointed individual with nationally renowned science expertise would travel the country to inspire young people to pursue careers in science. The bipartisan lead House sponsors of the bill include Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), who issued an enthusiastic press statement May 9 on the science committee\u2019s website when the bill was first introduced:<\/p>\n

\u201cScientific discovery fuels the innovation that keeps our economy strong. I am happy to be an original cosponsor of bipartisan legislation that for the first time creates a national spokesman for science,\u201d read Chairman Smith\u2019s statement. \u201cAn effective Science Laureate will not only be an accomplished scientist, but a role model who inspires students to pursue advanced degrees in science, math and engineering.\u00a0 To remain the world leader in a high-tech global marketplace, we must continue to inspire the innovators of tomorrow,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

The bill was scheduled to be considered Sept. 10 under suspension of the rules, a legislative maneuver typically used for bipartisan legislation that limits debate and amendments, allowing for swift passage. Upon learning that the bill was up this week, right-wing groups such as the American Conservative Union viewed the bill through a political lens. The organizations feared President Obama would appoint a scientist who would push a \u201cliberal\u201d climate change agenda, despite the fact that the bill as written is not exclusively meant to highlight a climate scientist and was pushed by the non-partisan National Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n

AGRICULTURE: ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA URGES ACTION ON CONSERVATION PROGRAMS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week, the Ecological Society of America issued an action alert encouraging its members to contact their representatives to support several key conservation programs as a new farm bill is negotiated.<\/p>\n

The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-234) expired in 2012. Congress and the White House enacted a temporary extension of most farm bill programs, which expires Sept. 30, 2013. The extension did not include conservation programs. While the Senate has passed legislation to reauthorize a number of critical environmental programs, the House-passed alternative either severely curtails or zeroes out funding for these programs.<\/p>\n

ESA\u2019s action alert to members highlighted critical conservation provisions included in the Senate bill, including:<\/p>\n

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Reserve Program.\u00a0The Environmental Quality Incentives Program gives financial assistance to farmers who implement conservation practices that preserve natural resources and ecosystems and save energy. The Conservation Reserve Program is a rental-payment program that provides farmers with incentives to remove environmentally-sensitive land from agricultural production to preserve water, soil quality and wildlife habitat.<\/p>\n

The Senate bill\u2019s conservation compliance provisions.\u00a0Unlike the House bill, the Senate bill includes a provision requiring that farmers comply with basic conservation requirements in order to receive federal subsidies for crop insurance.<\/p>\n

The Senate bill\u2019s bipartisan sodsaver provision.\u00a0The sodsaver provision was originally added at the committee level as an amendment by Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Mike Johanns (R-NE) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). The provision preserves native prairie through various subsidy reduction measures intended to discourage farmers from agricultural production on native grasslands.<\/p>\n

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the reforms in the Senate farm bill cut $12.9 billion in spending over the next 10 years. The above measures help farmers, sustain valuable agricultural production, create wildlife habitat and improve the water quality in our rural communities and beyond.<\/p>\n

To contact your US representative, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To contact your US Senator, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NOAA: REPORT FINDS HUMAN ACTIVITY INFLUENCED 2012 EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A report released from the\u00a0Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society<\/i>\u00a0has found a link between human-caused climate change and half of the twelve extreme weather events that occurred in calendar year 2012. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists took the lead in editing the report.<\/p>\n

The peer-reviewed report, written by 78 scientists from 11 countries around the world, found human influences on heat waves and storm surges that increased the probability of extreme weather events such as Hurricane Sandy. The report also found evidence linking human-influenced climate change to reduced arctic sea ice and increases in extreme rainfall in different parts of the globe. The report likened human-induced climate change and its capability to increase extreme weather events to a driver\u2019s speeding increasing his or her likelihood of having an accident.<\/p>\n

The report was edited by Thomas Peterson, principal scientist at NOAA\u2019s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC); Martin Hoerling, NOAA\u2019s Earth System Research Laboratory; Stephanie C. Herring, NCDC; and Peter Stott, UK Met Office Hadley Centre. For additional information on the report, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

EPA: 2013 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GRANT RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Sept. 11, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its 2013 awardees for its Environmental Justice Small Grants program. The $1.1 million in grant funding will go to 39 non-profit and tribal organizations to help address health and environmental issues in low-income, minority and tribal communities.<\/p>\n

Since 1994, the Environmental Justice Small Grants program has awarded over $24 million to over 1400 community-based organizations to address a wide range of environmental health concerns such as air and water pollution, pesticide use and brownfield-related contamination. EPA\u2019s Office of Environmental Justice works with local recipients to build self-sustaining community partnerships that address issues related to public health and the environment.<\/p>\n

Eligible organizations include the following:<\/p>\n