News from The Hill

Showcase of NASA Partnerships & Collaboration
GSA will feature NASA Earth Science research at this 25 July Capitol Hill event.

Managing Groundwater Storage
Attend this FREE Critical-Issues webinar from the American Geosciences Institute on Wednesday July 18 at 1:00pm EDT (cosponsored by GSA).

Volcano Monitoring:
Reducing the Risks of Volcanic Hazards for Society
The Congressional Hazards Caucus and Hazards Caucus Alliance are holding a congressional briefing on volcano monitoring on Monday, 25 June 2018.

Sizing Up Sinkholes:
Science and Technology to Mitigate Karst Hazards
The Congressional Hazards Caucus and Hazards Caucus Alliance are holding a congressional briefing on Monday, 7 May at 2 pm (Capitol Visitors Center, SVC201).

Adapting Wildfire Management to 21st Century Conditions
Attend this FREE Critical-Issues webinar from the American Geosciences Institute on 16 May, 1-2pm EDT (cosponsored by GSA).

CNSF Exhibition and Reception
GSA will showcase NSF-funded geoscience research at the 24th Annual Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) Exhibition and Reception on May 9.

What’s in Store for FY 2019 Federal Science Spending?
Congress is currently in the process of working through the 12 appropriation bills that will determine the federal funding for fiscal year 2019. As of the July 4 congressional recess, funding bills that cover NSF, NASA, NOAA, DOI and EPA have moved in both the House and the Senate.

At Long Last, FY 2018 Spending Bills Provide Increases for Science
The Administration’s budget request at the start of the FY 2018 spending cycle signaled that a difficult year was ahead for the scientific community. Following the the Bipartisan Budget Act in late February, the final spending bill was signed into law on March 23, and  provides increases for science across the board.

Research and Technology Subcommittee Tackles the Issue of Sexual Harassment
On 27 February 2018, four witnesses appeared before the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology during a hearing entitled A Review of Sexual Harassment and Misconduct in Science. During the opening statements, Chairwoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) and Ranking Member Dan Lipinski (D-IL) explained that the hearing was being held to explore how misconduct, specifically sexual harassment, is affecting the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in STEM fields, and how different stakeholders are responding to the problem.

FY 2018 Spending Closer to Finish Line, FY 2019 Process Begins
On 9 February, a budget deal that raises spending caps for Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019, provides $89 billion in emergency spending, and continues funding the government through 22 March, was signed into law. Just a few days later on 12 February, the Administration released its Fiscal Year 2019 budget request.

Climate Science Day on Capitol Hill
On 30-31 January, scientists from around the country conducted nearly 60 congressional meetings as part of the eighth annual Climate Science Day on Capitol Hill.

Geosciences Action on the Hill
The geosciences have been getting attention on the Hill amidst a busy legislative calendar. Legislation regarding landslides, geologic mapping, geothermal energy development, and volcanoes move through a House Committee and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2017 (S. 1768), cleared the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on 13 December.

Critical Minerals
The legislative and executive branches are taking steps to decrease what President Trump calls a “strategic vulnerability” brought about by U.S. dependence on imports for certain non-fuel mineral commodities.

Increases for DOE Science in FY2019
Through its membership in The Task Force on American Innovation and Energy Sciences Coalition, GSA thanked congressional leaders for their "strong support" of DOE's Office of Science, citing the 5 percent increase for the Office of Science and 4 percent increase for ARPA-E in FY2019.

Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act
GSA signed a statement of support by the Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC) for the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act. This bill affirms the DOE "Office of Science’s important contributions to the United States’ economic competitiveness, energy security and national security."

Concerns Raised about Proposed EPA Rule
GSA joined 68 other national health and scientific organizations to release a statement to express concern over the EPA's “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science” proposed rule. In addition, GSA and other leading geoscience organizations submitted comments urging the EPA to withdraw the proposed rule.

Support for OSTP Director Nominee
GSA joined science, engineering and academic organizations to express support for the nomination of Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy. GSA also signed a letter that urges Congress "to move rapidly to vote on the nomination of OSTP director."

Comments to Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
GSA Submitted Comments expressing concerns about the commission's recommendation to abolish the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists and repeal the Texas Geoscience Practice Act.

Push for Science Funding Continues
As the House and Senate move through the appropriations process, the scientific community continues to advocate for science funding.  GSA engaged through letters sent by The Task Force on American Innovation, Coalition for National Science Funding, and Energy Sciences Coalition that thank Members of Congress for their support of science funding and encourage robust funding throughout the appropriations process.

NASA Reauthorization Bill Advances
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee approved the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 5503) on 17 April. GSA and six other organizations sent a letter to Rep. Perlmutter, thanking him for his "leadership supporting NASA Earth Science research, in particular by offering amendment #28 to restore Earth Science funding" to the bill.

Testimony in Support of Science in the FY19 Budget
GSA submitted testimony in support of NSF, NASA and the USGS. GSA also signed testimony in support of NSF by the Coalition for National Science Funding and an ad hoc coalition, NASA by the Coalition for Aerospace and Science, and DOE's Office of Science and ARPA-E by the Energy Sciences Coalition.

Scientific Community Pushes for FY18 Funding
GSA signed a 16 Feb. letter of the Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC) to thank "Congress for its efforts in reaching a bipartisan, two-year budget agreement that includes lifting the harmful sequestration-level budget cap for non-defense discretionary spending... ESC again urges Congress to prioritize investment in the U.S.Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science in the fiscal year (FY) 2018 appropriations omnibus bill." The Coalition for National Science Funding letter, which GSA signed, added its support for the deal and called for investment in the National Science Foundation.

Raise the Caps
GSA joined 2,000 organizations in a letter to Congress to “ensure adequate funding for programs funded through annual appropriations, by continuing the bipartisan practice of providing relief from sequestration budget cuts and opposing any new efforts to cut these programs more deeply.”

GSA also signed a 6 Feb. letter urging Congress to raise the caps and “make investments in science and engineering research a top priority when allocating additional funding.”

Statement Supporting the Completion of Appropriations for the Department of Energy Office of Science
GSA and other member organizations of the Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC) sent a letter that “encourages Congress to continue to make robust and sustained funding for the DOE Office of Science a priority.”