As of this writing, the new Cabinet and congressional committee chairs have been selected, but most of the non-Cabinet level appointments are still to be made. Of significant interest to the geoscience community are the appointments of Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. Although many important positions have not yet been filled including the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) who serves as the President’s science advisor, and leadership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Charles “Chip” Groat has been re-appointed as Director of the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) as has Rita Colwell as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The Cabinet
Of the above-mentioned appointments, clearly the most controversial
was that of Gale Norton. She had served during the Reagan Administration
as an Associate Solicitor for the Interior Department and is considered
to be a protégé of then-Secretary of the Interior James Watt.
While Norton, who has been Attorney General of Colorado for the past eight
years, was strongly supported by property rights groups; environmental
groups opposed her with equal vigor. Her Senate confirmation by a vote
of 74-25 reflected the strength of her opposition. In dramatic contrast,
Christine Todd Whitman to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
and Spencer Abraham as Secretary of Energy (DOE) were both confirmed unanimously.
Whitman, while Governor of New Jersey, was known for her efforts to balance
economic interests with environmental protection. She favored voluntary
compliance by industry as opposed to regulatory enforcement. Abraham, who
lost his Senate seat in Michigan in the November elections, is in the unique
position of leading an agency that he attempted to legislatively abolish.
As a Senator he supported legislation to boost domestic petroleum production,
and to accelerate development of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal
site. It should be interesting to observe his activities at the agency
and with his former congressional colleagues who believe the agency is
unnecessary and saddled with a poorly defined mission. Also confirmed by
the Senate was Joe Allbaugh as Director of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency. The agency had been elevated to cabinet status during the Clinton
Administration, but no word yet on its Cabinet status in the new administration.
Allbaugh served most recently as President Bush’s campaign manager.
House of Representatives
One of the earliest actions of the Republicans in 1995 after they gained
control of the House in the 104th Congress was to limit the term of committee
chairs to six years. Now that those terms have come to an end, a few committee
chairs were reluctant to relinquish their coveted roles and sought waivers
to continue their leadership positions. House leadership rejected all such
requests. As Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) leaves his position
as chairman of the House Science Committee to take over the Judiciary Committee,
the chairmanship goes to moderate New York Republican Sherwood Boehlert.
The Science Committee has jurisdiction over many important geoscience programs
and agencies, including NSF, NASA, DOE research programs, the National
Weather Service, The National Institute for Standards and Technology, the
National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP), and the U.S. Global
Change Research Program (USGCRP). Boehlert has promised to strengthen the
committee to elevate the profile of science in Congress. He is considered
a moderate Republican with a record of environmental protection. When he
chaired the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee he joined
other moderate Republicans and Democrats on environmental policy, often
to the dismay of western conservatives. Boehlert has scheduled a series
of March hearings to focus on science education, energy policy, and the
environment. The new subcommittee chairs include former research physicist
Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) as head of the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology,
and Standards; and physiologist Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) to lead the Subcommittee
on Energy. Ehlers was the first research physicist elected to Congress.
His expertise was instrumental when the 105th Congress rewrote the nation’s
science policy in the report entitled, “Unlocking Our Future: Toward a
New National Science Policy.” Bartlett was a research scientist; inventor
and professor who worked on the team that contributed to the successful
Moon landing.
Senate
Since the Senate does not have specific term limits, most committees
retained the leadership they had in the 106th Congress. But as a result
of the 50-50 party split, Senate leaders developed a power-sharing deal
so that committees will now have equal representation from both parties
as well as equal staffing. Although there will be a Republican chair, the
ranking Democrat will also have the authority to bring legislation to the
floor for debate and vote, a right previously restricted only to the chair.
Other significant changes include the move of Conrad Burns (R-MT) to be chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Sam Brownback (R-KS) will take over as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, which has jurisdiction over NSF, NASA, NEHRP, and USGCRP.
Conclusion
By the time this article is published most of the appointments throughput
the federal sector should have been made. The Republican plan to limit
government spending while shrinking the size and scope of government should
also be taking shape. We will also know how successful the scientific agencies
have been in restoring several programmed budget cuts. And we may know
the fate of a highly volatile issue certain to surface in the 107th Congress.
The possibility of opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to
oil and gas drilling.
This column is a bimonthly feature written by John Dragonetti, CPG-02779, who is Senior Advisor to the American Geological Institute’s Government Affairs Program. This column was adapted from a Special Update put out by AGI’s Government Affairs Program
Please send any comments or requests for information to the AGI Government Affairs Program.
Contributed by John Dragonetti, AGI Government Affairs.
Posted May 13, 2002
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