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.
Jeffords Leaves Republicans, Throws Senate Control to
Democrats
Special Update: Bush Administration Releases National
Energy Policy
Bush Energy Plan: A Familiar Ring?
Geoscientists Visit Capitol Hill
AAPG Testifies at Outer Continental Shelf Field Hearing
Interior Department Advisory Board Recommends Lifting
OCS Moratoria
Roadless Rule Hits Speed Bump
Budget Boost for NSF Looks Promising
Director of Smithsonian Natural History Museum Resigns
Evolution Issues in Michigan, Louisiana, Pennsylvania
AGU Educates Members on Intelligent Design Creationism
Geoscience and Public Policy Interns: Hail and Farewell
Schedule of Upcoming GAP Activities
New Material on Web Site
********************
Jeffords Leaves Republicans, Throws Senate Control
to Democrats
Citing the political equivalent of irreconcilable differences with
the conservative leadership of the Republican party, Senator Jim Jeffords
of Vermont announced that he was becoming an independent supporting Democrat
leadership. His defection signals the end of the Senate's 50-50 split under
which the Republicans maintained control because of the Constitution's
provision for the Vice President to break tie votes. At the start of the
current session, Republicans had agreed to some power sharing such as equal
Democratic and Republican committee staffing and shared ability to move
legislation out of committee on a tie vote. It remains unclear what changes
the Democrats will make to staffing levels and procedural arrangements.
A subsequent AGI special update will discuss implications of the power
shift and provide information on new Democratic committee chairs.
Special Update: Bush Administration Releases National
Energy Policy
As reported in an AGI special update on May 19th, President Bush released
a comprehensive national energy policy developed by a task force headed
by Vice President Cheney. The bulk of the task force's 105 recommendations
can be carried out by presidential order and federal agency actions, but
20 require congressional approval. Both the House and Senate are moving
forward to develop legislation incorporating the president's proposals,
although the fast-track approach planned by Senate Republicans prior to
Jeffords' defection will be slowed considerably by the Democratic leadership.
The Cheney report addresses both energy supply and demand, but the most
controversial provisions focus on increasing domestic supply of petroleum,
natural gas, coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric energy. The special update
is available at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/energy_update0501.html.
Bush Energy Plan: A Familiar Ring?
The following news note appeared in the May 1991 issue of Geotimes:
"The administration's National Energy Strategy was announced by President
Bush Feb. 20. The Department of Energy, who organized the plan, and the
White House consider the plan a 'comprehensive and balanced strategy for
an energy future that is secure, efficient and environmentally sound.'
The plan is consistent with the administration's policy of relying on market
forces. Two aspects of the plan are emerging as the hottest political issues:
the strategy calls for oil production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;
and it does not require car manufacturers to increase the fuel efficiency
of motor vehicles. Some consider the strategy a good framework. Others
think it's too weak in promoting conservation, efficiency improvements,
and alternative fuels." The more things change....
Geoscientists Visit Capitol Hill
Over 200 scientists and engineers, including close to 20 earth scientists,
converged on Capitol Hill at the beginning of May as part of the sixth
annual Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day (CVD) event.
The scientists sent a resounding message to Congress in support of strengthening
federal investment in research. Most participants spent May 1st attending
briefings given by key federal agency officials and Hill staff. During
a Capitol Hill reception that evening, the George E. Brown Jr. Science-Engineering-Technology
Leadership Award was given to Senators Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO) and
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) for their efforts to double the National Science
Foundation's funding over the next five years. During CVD, members of ten
AGI member societies visited the offices of 13 senators and 18 representatives
as well as several Appropriations subcommittee offices to discuss the importance
of federal funding for geoscience research, particular for those programs
facing budgetary reductions in the president's request. Briefing materials
are available from the CVD website at http://www.agiweb.org/cvd.
The following week, the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) held its annual Washington Fly-In. AIPG's leadership and members visited congressional offices and federal agencies to discuss issues of concern. As part of the event, AIPG President (and New York State Geologist) Robert Fakundiny invited other geoscience society presidents to accompany him on a visit with House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). He was joined by AAPG President Robbie Gries, GSA President Sharon Mosher, AASG President Jon Price, AGI President-Elect Steven Stanley, and Chip Watts representing AEG.
AAPG Testifies at Outer Continental Shelf Field
Hearing
For the third time this spring, the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists (AAPG) was asked to testify on energy issues before a House
committee. Dr. Ben Hare, Chairman of AAPG's Committee on Resource Evaluation,
testified at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral
Resources held in New Orleans on May 14th. The field hearing provided
an opportunity for witnesses to discuss the role of the outer continental
shelf (OCS) in domestic natural gas production. Witnesses commented
not only on the current OCS program but also the question of access to
OCS leases (a series of moratoria have kept much of the nation's OCS closed
to lease sales) and the system that the federal government uses to collect
royalties from these leases. Additional background on the hearing is available
at http://www.house.gov/resources/107cong/energy/2001may14/agenda2001_0514.htm.
The full text of Hare's testimony is available at http://www.aapg.org/business/testimonies/05142001_house_hare.html.
Interior Department Advisory Board Recommends Lifting
OCS Moratoria
In related news, the Interior Department's OCS Policy Committee passed
a resolution urging the Secretary of the Interior to consider lifting existing
moratoria for five offshore areas off California, Florida, North Carolina,
and New England. The external advisory committee, which is chaired by Alabama
State Geologist Don Oltz, passed the resolution at a meeting on May 24th.
As reported in Greenwire, the committee's rationale for their recommendation
was the need to meet the nation's growing demand for natural gas. The resolution
states that the Minerals Management Service, "in consultation with industry
and affected states, should identify the five top geologic plays in the
moratoria areas, and if possible, the most prospective areas for natural
gas in the plays that industry would likely explore if allowed. These five
areas would provide the basis for a pilot to see if limited activity...is
possible in the moratoria areas."
Budget Boost for NSF Looks Promising
As reported by the American Institute of Physics, the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on VA/HUD and Independent Agencies, which has jurisdiction
over the National Science Foundation's budget, is supportive of a fiscal
year (FY) 2002 budget well above the requested 1.3% increase in the president's
proposal. At a hearing, Chairman James Walsh (R-NY) criticized several
aspects of the budget request, including the low funding for the Major
Research Equipment line item. Walsh discussed with NSF Director Rita
Colwell the need to re-balance the budget for research and development
as well as the need to look at what costs, if any, cross-cutting initiatives
have on core program support. While most subcommittee members voiced
support for boosting NSF's budget, a few members were less enthusiastic.
More at http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi/2001/066.html.
Roadless Rule Hits Speed Bump
After delaying implementation of the Clinton Administration's Roadless
Initiative to allow time for further review, Secretary of Agriculture Ann
Veneman announced on May 4th that the rule will proceed. In a press
release, Veneman stated that the agency will provide amendments in the
coming weeks to ensure local input and to provide more flexibility for
communities. While the Administration has agreed to uphold the rule,
several lawsuits have been filed to impede the implementation of it on
the grounds that the rulemaking process lacked the public input required
under the National Environmental Policy Act. On May 10th, U.S. District
Judge Edward Lodge released his decision to halt the roadless rule.
It is not clear at this point if the Department of Justice will appeal
the case. Chances are that any proposed amendments by the administration
will work to mediate issues raised in Lodge's ruling. More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/roadless.html.
Director of Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Resigns
Robert Fri, head of the National Museum of Natural History, announced
his intention to resign due to the reorganization of scientific research
priorities at the Smithsonian Institution. This announcement comes
in response to Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small's plan to refocus the
institution's research efforts on select priorities in science, and more
specifically, to combine the administrative duties of individual research
groups and collections into several administrative centers. Under
the new plan, museum directors would be far less involved in research operations,
and instead scientific staff would report to Smithsonian Undersecretary
J. Dennis O'Connor. Fri, who has run the museum located on the National
Mall for the past five years, stated: "The upcoming reorganization of the
science units of the Smithsonian will substantially affect the National
Museum of Natural History... I do not feel I that I can make that
commitment [to the reorganization] enthusiastically." During Fri's
time as Director, the museum has seen a major overhaul of the Geology,
Gems, and Minerals exhibit, the Rotunda lobby was refurbished, and a new
Imax movie theater was constructed. The museum had 9 million visitors
last year, more than any other museum in the world.
Evolution at Issue in Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania
Last month's review reported on Louisiana House Concurrent Resolution
74, which condemned Darwinism for its links to racism and Adolf Hitler.
After passing the House Education Committee on May 1st, the measure was
amended on the House floor by a 65-28 vote, removing all mention of Darwinism
and converting the resolution into simply a condemnation of racism. The
resulting measure passed both the Louisiana House and Senate. The bill's
original sponsor, Rep. Sharon Weston Broome (D-Baton Rouge), vowed to revisit
the issue. Also this month, legislation (House Bill 4705) was introduced
in Michigan to revise science curriculum standards to include the teaching
of intelligent design theory. The bill is itself a revision of an earlier
bill (HB 4382), which had emphasized that evolution and natural selection
were "unproven theories." Both bills were introduced by the chair of the
House Education Committee and three committee members. In Pennsylvania,
the House Education Committee is expected to vote shortly on new science
and technology education standards that encourage the teaching of creationist
views in science classes. In May, AGI alerted geoscience department heads
in Pennsylvania about the situation, encouraging them to work with the
state department of education and state legislators to support strong science
standards. For more information, see http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/evolution.html
and the National Center for Science Education website http://www.ncseweb.org.
AGU Holds Session on Intelligent Design Creationism
On May 31st, the American Geophysical Union held a session at its Spring
Meeting in Boston to inform geoscientists about new approaches being taken
to oppose the teaching of evolution in the nation's public schools. Over
150 scientists attended the session, which provided a range of perspectives
both from within and outside the geosciences. Speakers included biologist
Ken Miller of Brown University (author of "Finding Darwin's God"), philosopher
Robert Pennock of Michigan State University (author of "Tower of Babel:
The Evidence Against the New Creationism"), theologian Jim Miller of the
AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion, astrophysicist Seth Shostak
of the SETI Institute, geologist Wilf Elders of the University of California
at Riverside, and educator Judy Scotchmoor of the University of California
Museum of Paleontology. Material from their presentations should be available
on the AGU website in the near future.
Geoscience and Public Policy Interns: Hail and
Farewell
Over the past three months, AGI's Government Affairs Program has benefited
from the hard work of Mary Patterson, who served as an AGI-AAPG semester
intern. Mary has returned to the University of Nevada at Reno to finish
her undergraduate degree in geology. AGI acknowledges the generous support
of AAPG that makes the semester internships possible. In late May, we welcomed
three AGI-AIPG summer interns: Chris Eisinger, a graduate student in volcanology
at Arizona State University; Caetlin Ofiesh, who just graduated from Amherst
College in geology; and Michelle Williams, a graduate student in sedimentology
at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The summer internships are supported
by a generous grant from the AIPG Foundation. Among their many duties,
interns attend congressional hearings and agency meetings, research geoscience
policy issues, and maintain the program's website. For more information
on internship opportunities, see http://www.agiweb.org/gapac/intern.html.
Schedule of Upcoming GAP Activities
| June 11 | Utah Geological Society | Salt Lake City UT |
| June 13 | CNSF Congressional Exhibition | Washington DC |
| June 24-28 | GSA/GSL Meeting | Edinburgh UK |
| July 15-17 | Natural Hazards Workshop | Boulder CO |
| July 18-20 | CESSE Meeting | Houston TX |
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/gap
since the last monthly update:
Sources: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Physics, EENews, Greenwire, National Center for Science Education.
Please send any comments or requests for information to AGI Government Affairs Program at govt@agiweb.org.
Posted June 6, 2001
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