This monthly review goes out to members of the AGI Government Affairs Program (GAP) Advisory Committee, the leadership of AGI's member societies, and other interested geoscientists as part of a continuing effort to improve communications between GAP and the geoscience community that it serves.
High Oil Prices Drive Legislation in Congress
Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus Growing
House Passes Budget Resolution, Boosts Science
Controversial Asbestos Legislation Passes House Judiciary
Committee
House Passes Nuclear Waste Legislation, Falls Short
of Veto-Proof Majority
Senate Moves Ahead on Education Bill
New Poll Shows Americans Favor Teaching of Evolution
in Science Classrooms
Norwegian Government Falls Over Climate Change Issue
AASG Awards Pick and Gavel Awards to Rep. Gibbons,
NSF Director Colwell
AGI Participates in USGS Customer Listening Session
Schedule of Upcoming GAP Activities
New Material on Web Site
********************
High Oil Prices Drive Legislation in Congress
What a difference a year makes! Last March, Congress was considering
measures to help the domestic oil industry survive record low prices. Talk
has again turned to the importance of domestic production but now the reason
is high prices due to OPEC cutbacks. While most members of Congress agree
that something must be done about the recent rise in oil prices, they cannot
seem to agree on an appropriate solution. Legislation has been introduced
to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, repeal a portion or all of the
federal gasoline tax, increase investment in renewable energy and alternative
fuels, and open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska and
other federal lands for petroleum exploration. All of the proposals have
met with opposition and face uncertain futures. On March 27th, OPEC ministers
did agree to increase production, but analysts say that gasoline prices
will stay high through the peak summer driving months. More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/oil_price.html.
Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus Growing
Early this month, AGI sent out an alert encouraging member society
members to contact their senators and ask them to become charter members
of the Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus. The alert included a letter
sent by Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and John Edwards (D-NC), who co-chair
this informal organization of members of Congress focused on finding ways
to better prepare for and help mitigate the costs of natural disasters.
For over a year, AGI has been working with member societies AGU, the Geo-Institute
of ASCE, and the Seismological Society of America along with many other
organizations to establish such a caucus in order to build lasting support
for hazard mitigation as a public value. In order to make this caucus a
success, geoscientists should contact their senators and encourage them
to join. Five senators have already signed up, but many more are needed.
Organizers also are looking for co-chairs in the House to make the caucus
bicameral. The AGI alert can be found at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/caucus_alert0300.html.
House Passes Budget Resolution, Boosts Science
In 1997, Congress and the White House enacted strict caps on future
discretionary spending (all non-mandatory spending that includes nearly
all funding for science-related programs) in order to balance the government's
books. Last year, the final numbers for discretionary spending overshot
the caps by nearly $55 billion due to "emergency" spending for items such
as the highly unexpected 2000 census. The caps are even tighter for FY
2001 -- in order to meet them, Congress and the Administration would have
to make deep cuts. As a result, most are declaring the budget caps
a moot issue given that the continuing economic boom has already balanced
the budget. As part of his budget request, President Clinton proposed
new spending caps that would add nearly $70 billion over the 1997 agreement
level.
Now it is Congress' turn, and both houses are currently working on their own budget resolutions, which will determine the amount of money that the Appropriations Committees will have to divvy up. On March 24th, the House passed its budget resolution on a party-line 211-207 vote. The final version included an amendment that boosted the budget for basic research by $1 billion over FY 2000 level, which bodes well for agencies such as the National Science Foundation. Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) sought to rally support in the House for increased spending on science and technology by circulating a "Dear Colleague Letter." AGU released an alert on the budget resolution and Ehlers's letter at http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/asla/asla-list?read=2000-08.msg. The Senate budget resolution is still bottled up in committee as dissension within the majority party over priorities has slowed progress to a crawl.
Controversial Asbestos Legislation Passes House
Judiciary Committee
The Fairness in Asbestos Compensation Act of 1999, H.R. 1283, narrowly
made it past the House Judiciary Committee on March 16th. The bill,
which was introduced by Committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL), is designed
to ease the burden that the massive amount of asbestos lawsuits puts on
the court system by creating a new federal agency that would try to resolve
the claims before they reach the courtroom. Supporters claim that the legislation
would streamline a process that threatens to overwhelm the federal courts.
Opponents of the bill argue that it would make things worse for everyone
except those being sued, because it would make it easier for the companies
to limit their liabilities by limiting the amount that individual victims
could receive. Many also feel that the medical standards that the
bill sets are too restrictive. The Senate version of the bill, S. 758,
is pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
House Passes Nuclear Waste Legislation, Falls
Short of Veto-Proof Majority
On March 22nd, the House of Representatives voted 253-167 in favor
of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2000 (S. 1287), Senate-passed
legislation to overhaul the nation's high-level nuclear waste disposal
efforts. The bill is now cleared for the President, who has indicated that
he will veto it. As with the Senate vote of 64-34, the tally was well short
of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. Although Congress
could try to recraft the bill, further action in the 106th Congress appears
unlikely. EENews reported that aides to bill sponsor Sen. Frank Murkowski
(R-AK) said they "were done trying" with the Clinton Administration. Nevada's
delegation and environmental groups hailed the vote as a victory. The vote
margin was considerably closer than in the 105th Congress when the House
voted 307-120 in favor of an earlier nuclear waste program overhaul bill,
H.R. 1020. More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/yucca106.html.
Senate Moves Ahead on Education Bill
As reported in February, AGI joined forces with other science, engineering
and math societies to request that Congress maintain federal support for
science and math educator's professional development. On March 9th, the
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passed the Education
Opportunities Act, S. 2, without including language specifically for math
and science educators. Committee Chairman James Jeffords (R-VT) introduced
S. 2 as the majority's version of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA) reauthorization legislation. During the three days of
meetings, amendments supported by the committee minority were quickly voted
down along party lines, including an amendment proposed by Ranking Member
Edward Kennedy (D-MA) that would reinstate language aimed at professional
development for math and science educators. More information on ESEA is
available on AGI's Update on Science Education at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/ike106.html.
New Poll Shows Americans Favor Teaching of Evolution
in Science Classrooms
A recent poll commissioned by the People For the American Way Foundation
(PFAWF) reports that 83% of Americans think that evolution should be taught
in public school science classes. About 70% of Americans feel that
the Bible and evolutionary theory go hand in hand, which contrasts with
the contention of biblical literalists who argue that the two are in conflict.
This poll differs from previously conducted polls because it focuses solely
on the evolution/creation issue. The poll shows that 60% of Americans
reject the Kansas State Board of Education's 1999 decision to take evolution
out of state science standards. The results of the poll also indicated
that there is broad agreement that creationist beliefs should be acknowledged,
but not taught as a science, and that the presentation of evolution and
creationism in the classroom should follow national standards. A
PDF version of the poll is available at: http://www.pfaw.org/issues/education/creationism-poll.pdf.
Norwegian Government Falls Over Climate Change
Issue
On March 9th, Kjell Magne Bondevik, the Prime Minister of Norway, resigned
in protest of a parliamentary vote to build several new gas-fired power
plants. According to Environment News Service, the resignation marks the
first government breakup that has ever resulted from issues related to
global warming. Although most of Norway's electricity is currently produced
from hydro-electric dams, there has been recent resistance to the construction
of more dams because of their effect on the landscape. While Bondevik's
government wanted to put off building power plants until cleaner gas-burning
technology was developed, his opposition felt that they must come up with
a way to meet the growing demand for electricity. More on climate change
issues at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/climate.html.
AASG Awards Pick and Gavel Awards to Rep. Gibbons,
NSF Director Colwell
On March 14th, the Association of American State Geologists presented
its second annual Pick and Gavel awards to Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV), the
only geoscientist in Congress, and NSF Director Rita Colwell. The award
was established last year to recognize leaders who have made major contributions
to the advancement of the geosciences. Both recipients were on hand at
the reception and dinner at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC to receive
their awards - a plaque bearing a large orpiment specimen from a Nevada
gold mine on its base.
AGI Participates in USGS Customer Listening Session
On March 22nd and 23rd, the U.S. Geological Survey held a "Conversation
with Customers" during which stakeholders could provide input on the agency's
Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 budget request. The stated purpose was "looking at
opportunities for growing our programs in new or enhanced ways...build[ing]
on the strengths of what has been successful and what we do well, while
at the same time seeking out the science challenges of tomorrow." AGI's
government affairs staff spoke on the importance of developing initiatives
that conform to the congressional mandate that the agency focus on its
core capabilities. With congressional interest in natural hazards running
high, USGS has a great opportunity to expand its efforts in that sector.
AGI staff also spoke on the value of the geologic mapping program, resource
assessments, and the need to improve awareness in the land management agencies
of the valuable information that USGS geoscientists can provide to support
decisionmaking.
Schedule of Upcoming GAP Activities
| April 2 | GAP Advisory Cmte Mtg. | Alexandria VA |
| April 3 | GSA Geology & Public Policy Cmte Mtg. | Washington DC |
| April 4-5 | SET Congressional Visits Day | Washington DC |
| April 11-13 | AAAS Science Policy Colloquium | Washington DC |
| April 16-18 | AAPG Annual Convention | New Orleans LA |
| May 1-2 | AIPG Fly-In | Washington DC |
| May 8 | Council of Science Editors Mtg | San Antonio TX |
| May 30-June 3 | AGU Spring Meeting | Washington DC |
New Material on Web Site
The following updates and reports were added to the Government Affairs
portion of AGI's web site http://www.agiweb.org
since the last monthly update:
Sources: EENews, Environment News Service, Library of Congress, People for the American Way, USGS.
Please send any comments or requests for information to AGI Government Affairs Program at govt@agiweb.org.
Posted March 31, 2000
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