Letter to the President Asking for White House Involvement in the NPOESS Nunn-McCurdy Program Review
May 11, 2006 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20502 Dear Mr. President: I know you understand how important accurate weather forecasting is to this nation's economy and to the lives of our citizens. I want to draw your attention to a troubled weather satellite acquisition involving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) and … Continue Reading
April 17, 2006Letter from Rep. Brad Miller to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Requesting Release of Reports
April 17, 2006 The Honorable Margaret Spellings U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue Washington, D.C. 20202 Dear Secretary Spellings: I am writing to request again the information that I requested of you orally at the hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science on March 30, 2006, entitled "K-12 Science and Math Education Across the Federal Agencies." The information pertains to the decision by the Department of Education not to release … Continue Reading
February 16, 2006Letter to NASA Administrator on Assuring Free and Open Scientific Communication
February 16, 2006 Dr. Michael D. Griffin Administrator National Aeronautics and Space Administration 300E. Street, SW Washington, DC 20546 Dear Administrator Griffin: I appreciate your letter responding to my concerns about censorship of scientific findings by NASA public affairs officials. Your letter is clear and unequivocal in your position on the issue and the steps you have initiated to review and improve policies related to promoting the free and open exchange of scientific and … Continue Reading
January 25, 2006Letter to President from Rep. Gordon Recommending Implementation of Augustine Recommendations on American Competitiveness
January 25, 2006 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20502 Dear Mr. President: In recent years, a growing chorus has been calling attention to the eroding position of American firms and workers in the world economy. The National Academy of Sciences recent report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, attempts to chart a course forward that will create a vital, robust American economy with good paying … Continue Reading
December 13, 2005Letter to President Seeking Responses to Previous Communications
December 13, 2005 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20502 Dear Mr. President: As the year comes to a close, I want to draw your attention to several outstanding requests for information that have been sent by me along with other senior members of the Committee on Science. There are six letters that were sent to you or executive agencies under your direction which have never been substantively … Continue Reading
December 08, 2005Letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Concerning Lack of Social and Behavioral Aspects in Pandemic Preparedness Plan
December 8, 2005 The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt Secretary of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 Dear Mr. Secretary: My staff and I have carefully reviewed the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza and the HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan. While we commend this Administration for a well-thought out agenda to finally move the biological aspects of pandemic preparedness forward in a rapid fashion (vaccine development, antivirals, and … Continue Reading
October 11, 2005Second letter to Secretary of Commerce on Mandated Report Concerning Impacts of Offshoring and Globalization
October 11, 2005 The Honorable Carlos Gutierrez Secretary, Department of Commerce Room 5421 Fourteenth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230 Dear Secretary Gutierrez: We wrote to you on August 3, 2005, asking that you release the congressionally directed report on off-shoring professional jobs in the manufacturing and services industries. That report was due to Congress by June 30, 2004. Your response to our letter dated September 15, 2005 did provide a copy of a … Continue Reading
October 06, 2005NASA Administrator Griffin Responds to Gordon Letter on the Use of Exceptions in the Iran Nonproliferation Act
October 6, 2005 The Honorable Bart Gordon Ranking Democrat Committee on Science House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Gordon: The President has requested that NASA respond to your letter of August 22, 2005, inquiring into the Administration's rationale behind its proposed amendment to the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 (INPA) (P.L. 106-178). As you know, the Administration is committed to ensuring that any amendment to the INPA sustains the Act's key … Continue Reading
October 04, 2005Letter to Secretary of Energy Seeking Timely Delivery of Annual Report on Federal Agency Energy Efficiency Performance
October 4, 2005 The Honorable Samuel Bodman Secretary U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave, SW Washington, DC 20585 Dear Mr. Secretary: This month you launched the president's public awareness campaign focused on energy conservation in the consumer, industry and government sectors. There is plenty of good advice in that campaign. But there are already energy efficiency obligations the Federal agencies must meet, specifically the energy efficiency goals laid out in … Continue Reading
September 30, 2005Letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency Requesting Information on National Hurricane Center Communications Regarding Hurricane Katrina
September 30, 2005 The Honorable R. David Paulison Acting Under Secretary/U.S. Fire Administrator Office ofthe Director 500 C Street, SW Washington, DC 20472 Dear Under Secretary Paulison: I write because of my committee's jurisdictional responsibilities over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and more specifically over the National Weather Service (NWS) and its National Hurricane Center (NHC). The oversight responsibilities of the Science Committee make it … Continue Reading
September 14, 2005Letter to President Requesting Information on White House Briefings by the National Hurricane Center on Hurricane Katrina
September 14, 2005 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: I write because of my committee's jurisdictional responsibilities over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and more specifically over the National Weather Service (NWS) and its National Hurricane Center (NHC). According to press reports, Max Mayfield, director of the National … Continue Reading
August 22, 2005Letter to President on Proposed Changes to the Iran Nonproliferation Act
August 22, 2005 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20502 Dear Mr. President: I have received the Administration's proposal for amending the Iran Nonproliferation Act (INA). Potential modifications to the INA have important implications with respect to both foreign policy and space policy. As a result, I look forward to working closely with the Administration during Congress's … Continue Reading
August 03, 2005Letter to Secretary of Commerce Seeking Mandated Report on Impacts of Offshoring and Globalization
August 3, 2005 The Honorable Carlos Gutierrez Secretary, Department of Commerce Room 5421 Fourteenth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230 Dear Secretary Gutierrez: Almost two years ago, Congress directed that you carry out a study of the irnpact of workfbrce globalization in knowledge-based industries. This was an effort to get the Department, through the offices of the Technology Administration, to confront ihe implications of off-shoring high-paying professional … Continue Reading
July 18, 2005Letter to EPA Administrator on the Use of Human Exposure Data in Regulating Toxic Chemicals
July 18, 2005 The Honorable Stephen L. Johnson Administrator US Environmental Protection Agency 401 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20460-0003 Dear Administrator Johnson: More than a year after the completion of the study by the National Academy of Sciences and five years after the joint FIFRA Science Advisory Panel's (SAP) and the Science Advisory Board's (SAB) review of the ethical and scientific issues associated with intentional human dosing experiments testing toxic … Continue Reading
July 12, 2005NASA Administrator Griffin Proposes Amending the Iran Nonproliferation Act
July 12, 2005 The Honorable Bart Gordon Ranking Democrat Committee on Science House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Gordon: On behalf of the Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) proposes that the enclosed amendment to the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-178) be added to NASA authorization legislation or another appropriate legislative vehicle. The proposed amendment is a balanced approach that maintains U.S. … Continue Reading
April 28, 2005Letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services on "Gatekeeper" Policy for Science Advisors to International Organizations
April 28, 2005 The Honorable Michael Leavitt Secretary of Health and Human Services US Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20201 Dear Secretary Leavitt: Until April of 2004, when the World Health Organization or another international group wanted an NIH or CDC expert on health issues to consult, they could simply contact the appropriate person and invite them to attend a meeting or conference. However, as of April 15, 2004, all … Continue Reading
November 30, 2004Letter to EPA Administrator Concerning Conflict of Interest in Cooperative Research Agreement with American Chemistry Council
November 30, 2004 The Honorable Michael Leavitt Administrator Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20460 Dear Mr. Leavitt: We are writing to express our concerns about the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) to study children's exposure to chemicals in the home. We are pleased the agency has decided to postpone the study to further examine the issues that have … Continue Reading
November 30, 2004Letter to EPA Administrator Questioning CHEERS Study
November 30, 2004 The Honorable Michael Leavitt Administrator Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20460 Dear Mr. Leavitt: We are writing to inquire about the Longitudinal Field Measurement Study of Infants and Toddler's Aggregate Exposure to Pesticides and Persistent Pollutants the Agency planned to initiate this fall with the Centers for Disease Control, the Duval County Florida Health Department and the American Chemistry Council. We are encouraged by the recent … Continue Reading
October 26, 2004Rep. Brian Baird Letter to Attorney General Requesting Investigation of Improper Review of Advisory Committee Candidates
October 26, 2004 The Honorable John Ashcroft Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Attorney General Ashcroft, You are certainly aware that there has been widespread discussion in the scientific community and the media about a perception that the Bush Administration has politicized the scientific advice it gets and the information it releases. One aspect of these charges has been the effort by political … Continue Reading
July 23, 2004Rep. Nick Lampson Letter to President on Maintaining Operations of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Satellite
July 23, 2004 The President The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: I'm writing to express my concern over NASA's announcement that it intends to terminate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) later this year. I believe that such a step is ill-advised and will increase the risk to life and property from hurricanes, typhoons, and other severe storms over the next two years. As you know, such storms have devastated Texas and many other parts of the … Continue Reading