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2015–2016 GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow Report
GSA TODAY | JULY 2016 “If you’re not at the table,
you’re on the menu.”
Karen Paczkowski
Solving our nation’s toughest challenges requires a coordinated
effort between scientific knowledge, effective legislation, and
sound policy. As a society, we must decide how to protect and
sustainably use our natural resources, how to mitigate and adapt
to natural hazards, and how to secure our energy supply.
Geoscience has an important role to play in deciding the answers
to these challenging questions.
Using geoscience to inform policy has been a constant thread
through my career. As a graduate student, I participated in several
Geoscience and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math-
ematics) Congressional Visits Days (CVDs). CVDs are two-day
events where scientists from around the county travel to D.C. to
meet with their congressional representatives. In my own face-to-
face meetings with congressional offices and committees, I stressed
the importance of federally funded basic science research by empha-
sizing the societal impacts of my own research, the societal benefits
of geoscience as a field, and the value of geoscience education. CVDs
send a powerful reminder to policymakers of the need not only to
support geoscience programs verbally, but to support them finan-
cially as well. There’s an old saying in Washington: “If you’re not at
the table, you’re on the menu.”
I believe these CVD visits had an effect on policymakers, and I
know they had an effect on me. I discovered that my geoscience
background could be used to help tackle national challenges by using
science to develop better policy. After finishing my Ph.D. in
geophysics, I made the leap into science policy through the GSA
Science Policy Fellowship. I worked as a liaison between scientists
and policymakers in GSA’s Government Affairs Office in D.C.
Through this position, I gained valuable hands-on experience in key
geoscience topics and insight into the inner workings of D.C.
I am honored to serve as the 2015–2016 GSA-USGS Congressional
Science Fellow. This past September, I joined 200 other scientists and
engineers as part of the incoming class of American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy
Fellows. The fellowship began with a two-week whirlwind orienta-
tion to science policy. Senators, representatives, judges, diplomats,
and many others were brought in to impart their wisdom to the new
class of fellows. After the training, I interviewed with a broad range
of offices, including Representatives, Senators, and committees,
before accepting an offer to serve in the office of Massachusetts
Senator Edward J. Markey.
I work for the Senator on a broad range of topics, including energy,
the environment, and STEM research and education. I draft state-
ments and questions for congressional hearings in the Environment
and Public Works Committee and the Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee. I accompany the Senator to these hear-
ings, helping him react in real-time to comments made by witnesses
and other Senators. I also draft Statements for the Congressional
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Record, including a congratulatory message to the MIT LIGO
gravity waves detection team. Our office used the discovery to high-
light the importance of basic science research funding provided by
the National Science Foundation. I also help write the Senator’s
remarks for STEM events, including a recent event on increasing the
involvement of women in STEM fields.
One of my most exciting tasks has been drafting legislation. On
18 Sept. 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that
Volkswagen had been using defeat devices to circumvent emission
test requirements on 500,000 U.S. vehicles. These defeat devices
allowed Volkswagen (VW) vehicles to emit up to 40 times the
nitrogen oxide (NOx) allowable under U.S. law.
In response to the VW Diesel Scandal, I helped write the
CLEANUP Act. CLEAN-UP is an acronym for Compensating
Losses to the Environment from Automobiles with Noxious
Undisclosed Pollution. The CLEANUP Act holds VW and other
automakers accountable to the American public for fraudulently
circumventing U.S. emissions laws. It ensures that automakers
aren’t allowed to benefit from Corporate Average Fuel Economy
(CAFE) credits awarded as a result of illegal behavior. The
CLEANUP Act denies CAFE credits to any auto manufacturer
that circumvents emissions control requirements and allows the
Department of Transportation to collect additional penalties from
automakers that obtain the credits fraudulently. Penalties from
violations are diverted to programs that clean up the air, including
investments in electric vehicle fueling stations, retrofitting school
buses to reduce air emissions, purchasing zero-emitting cars for
municipal fleets, or providing grants for projects to improve air
quality in low-income communities.
The senator, my fellow staffers, and I developed the ideas behind
this bill and worked with legislative counsel to formalize the bill’s
language. The bill circulated with a one-page summary (referred to
as a one-pager) that explains what the bill does without the legal
language. We also drafted a “Dear Colleague” letter asking other
senators to cosponsor the bill. I dropped off the bill in the Capitol on
25 February, and it now awaits markup in the Senate’s Committee
on Environment and Public Works.
As the GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow, I now sit on the
other side of the table, meeting with constituents and stakeholders
on topics in my portfolio. I particularly enjoy meeting with geoscien-
tists during CVDs and hearing about the exciting, important
research in our field. I’m happy to have found my place at the table,
and I encourage all geoscientists to participate in science policy.
Together, we can tackle our nation’s toughest challenges. Please feel
free to contact me if you have any questions. I’m always happy to talk
about the intersection between science and policy, and am eager to
help scientists find their own seat at the table.
The manuscript is submitted for publication by Karen Paczkowski,
2015–2016 GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow, with the under-
standing that the U.S. government is authorized to reproduce and
distribute reprints for governmental use. The one-year fellowship is
supported by GSA and the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the
Interior, under Assistance Award No. G15AP00128. The views and
conclusions contained in this document are those of the author and
should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies,
either expressed or implied, of the U.S. government. Paczkowski works
in the office of Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and can be
contacted by e-mail at karen_paczkowski@markey.senate.gov.