News from The Hill

Landslide Science: Nation Wide Risk Reduction Applications
The Congressional Hazards Caucus and Hazards Caucus Alliance are holding a congressional briefing on landslide risks and mitigation on Friday, 7 June 2019.

Register by 29 April for the 25th Annual CNSF Exhibition & Reception taking place on Tuesday, 30 April 2019, in Washington, D.C.

Put Your Science Into Action at the Geoscience and Society Summit
Cosponsored by GSA, the Geoscience and Society Summit will create a forum using scientific information to tackle global and local challenges around sustainability of natural resources and systems, global health, and resilience.

Geologic Data Preservation Program Makes Bicameral Progress
The National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program has been without authorization since 2010, but newly-introduced legislation may change that.

Administration Releases Critical Minerals Strategy
The Trump Administration released A Federal Strategy to Ensure a Reliable Supply of Critical Minerals on 4 June 2019. The strategy assesses the supply chain of critical minerals and identifies ways to strengthen the supply chain.

House Attempts to Block Proposed Reorganization and Relocation of the U.S. Geological Survey
On 25 June 2019, the House passed the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The bill includes report language that prohibits the proposed reorganization and blocks an attempt to relocate staff of the USGS away from the Washington, D.C. area.

Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Geothermal Energy
On 20 June 2019 the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) held its first hearing since 2006 on the topic of geothermal energy development.

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Passed STEM Diversity Related Bills
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, led by Chairwoman Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), has been actively addressing challenges in STEM education in a bipartisan and collaborative manner.

Congressional Briefing on Landslide Science
On 07 June 2019 the Hazards Caucus Alliance (HCA) held a Congressional briefing, Landslide science: nationwide risk reduction applications, to inform Congress about landslide risk and mitigation efforts.

Scientists’ Engagement in Policy Through District Visits
District visits, visits to members of Congress’ local office, are an opportunity for scientists to integrate themselves in the political process without having to travel to Washington, D.C.

Geoscience funding outlook for fiscal year 2020
The Administration released its fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget request throughout March, more than a month after the scheduled release date due to delays from the shutdown and finalizing the FY 2019 process.

GSA’s Director for Geoscience Policy testifies at Appropriations Hearing
GSA’s Director for Geoscience Policy, Kasey White, testified in support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies hearing held 26 February 2019.

Ocean and STEM Reports to Guide U.S. Policy
At the close of 2018 the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) released two reports: Science and Technology for America’s Oceans: A Decadal Vision, and Charting a Course for Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education.

Final Legislation Passed by 115th Congress
During the lame-duck session of the 115th Congress, Congress was able to pass several geoscience-related bills that have been signed into law.

U.S. Senate Confirms Key Science Positions
On the last full day of the 115th Congress, the U.S. Senate voted to approve several White House nominations, including Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Concerns Raised About Changes to Open Access Policies
GSA, as part of a coalition of 60 scientific societies, issued a letter expressing deep concern over changes proposed to the federal policy governing the open distribution of published journal articles containing federally funded research.

Letter to Congressional Leaders on FY2020 Spending
Noting "the uncertainty created by short and long-term continuing resolutions (CRs) has severe consequences for science and research," 162 organizations, including GSA, signed a letter asking Congress to complete the FY 2020 appropriations process.

Future Climate Research Needs
GSA joined 10 other scientific societies to submit comments to the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on scientific research and assessment needs.

Hearing Examines EPA Proposed Rule
A letter signed by GSA that expressed concerns about EPA's “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science” proposed rule was entered into the congressional record as part of a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing.

Statement in Support of ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019
The Energy Sciences Coalition, to which GSA belongs, wrote to congressional leaders to support the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Reauthorization Act, citing the "unique and critical role [of ARPA-E] in maintaining America’s global leadership in energy technologies and our energy security."

Scientific Societies Press for FY 2020 Funding
In a recent letter, the Energy Sciences Coalition asked Congress "to provide no less than $7 billion for the DOE Office of Science in FY 2020," highlighting its "pivotal and leading role in addressing this country’s energy, national security, and environmental challenges."

On 25 October, the Coalition for National Science Funding sent a letter asking "Congress to complete the FY20 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill before the current continuing resolution expires on November 21" and "make a significant funding increase for NSF a high priority."

Balance National Security Concerns with Impacts to Scientific Enterprise
GSA and 59 other science, engineering and educational organizations sent a letter that advised, "While we must be vigilant to safeguard research, we must also ensure that the U.S. remains a desirable and welcoming destination for researchers from around the world.”

Statement Supporting DOE Office of Science Advisory Committees
The Energy Sciences Coalition sent a letter asking the Administration "to retain the six Federal Advisory Committees (FACs) that currently provide invaluable advice on research priorities and infrastructure investments to the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science."

Statement in Support of DOE Office of Science Infrastructure Investments
The Energy Sciences Coalition sent a letter to congressional leaders that "strongly encourages Congress to include an investment in the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s research infrastructure as part of any larger infrastructure bill."

Letter Supporting Securing American Science and Technology Act (SASTA)
GSA and other scientific organizations thanked Members of Congress for working in a bipartisan manner to protect "American innovation from security threats to the U.S. research enterprise."

Concerns Raised about USGS Conference Policy
GSA joined members of the USGS Coalition to highlight how scientific conferences "promote collaborations between federal scientists and those in private industry and academia, provide for rapid dissemination of federally funded research results, and provide high quality professional development for the next generation of scientists and engineers."

Raise the Caps
GSA signed a letter to congressional leaders calling for "a two-year bipartisan budget agreement that increases the spending caps for discretionary programs" that will make it possible to maintain key federal investments in America’s science and engineering enterprise.

GSA signed another letter asking congressional leaders "raise the budgetary caps imposed on the discretionary budget and provide sustainable and robust investments for federal research in fiscal year 2020.

GSA Advocates for Geoscience Funding
GSA Director for Geoscience Policy Kasey White testified in support of the U.S. Geological Survey on 26 February. GSA also submitted testimony in support of geoscience research at NSF and NASA and signed letters by the Energy Sciences Coalition, Coalition for National Science Funding, and Coalition for Aerospace and Science asking Congress to invest in research at DOE, NSF, and NASA.

Increases for NSF Funding
GSA signed a letter thanking congressional leaders for increasing the National Science Foundation’s budget by 4 percent to $8.1 billion for fiscal year 2019.

Scientific Organizations Highlight Impacts of the Shutdown
As a member of the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), GSA signed a letter "to express our serious concerns about the impact of the government shutdown on America’s research enterprise."