House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-TX, published an op-ed in Politico today. In it, he asserts that federal budget is so taken up with entitlements that the nation’s investment in science is suffering and will continue to suffer as a result. Further, Chairman Smith argues that entitlement reform means more funding for basic science and R&D.
Category: Environmental Research & Sustainability
Recently Introduced Bills Concerning Ocean Clean Up
There have been a couple of bills introduced this summer surrounding the issue of ocean cleanup in the wake of disaster and preventing future damage to oceans. Below is a quick overview and analysis of a couple of these bills that we have been keeping our eye on.
S 1162 – A bill to authorize the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide certain funds to eligible entities for activities undertaken to address the marine debris impacts of the March 2011 Tohuko Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Sponsor: Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Introduced: 6/13/2013
Current Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Summary: The bill would provide funding to state and local government agencies (including institutions of higher education) to address impacts created by marine debris.
House Bill: HR 1491 is the House’s identical version of this bill, introduced by Representative Suzanne Bonamici
S 1483 – A bill to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to establish the Federal Oil Spill Research Committee and to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to include in a response plan certain planned and demonstrated investments in research relating to discharges of oil and to modify the dates by which a response plan must be updated.
Sponsor: Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Introduced: 8/1/2013
Current Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Summary: The legislation would create a federal oil spill research committee which would be directed to establish a program to conduct oil spill research and development funded by grants, which would be awarded to universities and other research programs.
If at first you don’t succeed, the House will try and pass the Farm Bill (again)
The proverb is clearly something the House lives by. To demonstrate, the House Republican Leadership will attempt to pass the Farm Bill again this week after a disastrous attempt and failure prior to the Fourth of July Recess.
The House is expected to consider a modified version of the bill considered in June. This bill would strip all of the nutrition program portions of the bill, including food stamps, and be straight farm programs. In addition, the new Farm Bill would strip the requirement from the 1949 law that Congress reauthorize or extend the Farm Bill periodically.
Democrats have criticized the measure saying not only is stripping the nutrition programs a nonstarter in the Senate, but such a move would effectively kill the measure in the House if conferenced.
It is unclear if the House Republicans have the 218 votes needed to pass the measure.
Over the July Fourth Recess 532 agriculture-related groups sent a letter to Speaker Boehner opposing any move to strip nutrition programs from the Farm Bill. The coalition letter to Boehner is here.
President’s Climate Action Plan
In conjunction with his statement today, the President has released his Climate Action plan.
A short overview of the plan can be found here, while the longer version can be found here – POTUS Climate Change Action Plan.
Senate Confirms Pritzker
Today, the Senate confirmed Penny Pritzker as Secretary of Commerce by a vote of 97-1.
Pritzker, a member of the family that owns Hyatt Hotels, was the national finance chairwoman of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and the national co-chairwoman of his reelection campaign.
The Commerce Department is comprised of of 12 different agencies responsible for everything from weather forecasts to patent protection, including: