Letter to Mr. Norman Augustine, Chairman, Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 … Continue Reading
June 22, 2009Letter to NAS, NAE, IM Recarding Concern for America's Research Universities
June 22, 2009Dr. Ralph J. CiceronePresidentNational Academy of Sciences500 Fifth Street, NWWashington, D.C. 20001Dr. Charles M. VestPresidentNational Academy of Engineering500 Fifth Street, NWWashington, D.C. 20001Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg PresidentInstitute of Medicine500 Fifth Street, NWWashington, D.C. 20001 Dear Dr. Cicerone, Dr. Vest, and Dr. Fineberg:America's research universities are admired throughout the world, and they have contributed immeasurably to our social and economic … Continue Reading
June 10, 2009Letter to Acting Comptroller General Dodaro Requesting GAO to Examine the New IRIS System
June 10, 2009 Mr. Gene L. DodaroActing Comptroller GeneralU.S. Government Accountability Office441 G St. NWWashington, DC 20584 Dear Mr. Dodaro, The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) was established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide science-based risk assessments of chemicals. Over the last eight years, the IRIS database has languished as a result of continuous process changes and endless interagency peer review processes demanded … Continue Reading
March 19, 2009Letter to Acting Administrator Scolese Regarding Space Communications Network Services (SCNS) Contract
March 19, 2009Mr. Christopher ScoleseActing AdministratorNational Aeronautics and Space Administration300 E Street SW, Suite 9L33Washington, DC 20546Dear Acting Administrator Scolese:Recently, the Committee received allegations that the procurement process for the Space Communications Network System (SCNS) contract award by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) may have been negatively impacted by an organizational conflict of interest, including the employment of a former … Continue Reading
March 06, 2009Letter to Acting Administrator Scoles Regarding Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) Contracts
March 6, 2009Mr. Christopher ScoleseActing AdministratorNational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationTwo Independence Sq uare SWWashington, D.C. 20546Dear Mr. Scolese:The Committee on Science and Technology is very interested in issues related to organizational conflicts of interest. Over the last decade there has been a growing reliance throughout the Federal government upon systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA) contractors to support government managers in overseeing and … Continue Reading
February 24, 2009Letter to the President Regarding Inspector Genteral Cobb
February 24, 2009 President Barack ObamaThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20500Dear President Obama:In the almost $800-billion economic recovery package you signed into law last week, federal inspectors general offices were allocated millions of dollars of additional funding so that they have the resources to oversee spending of stimulus money. We are confident that many of the sitting inspectors general are capable of meeting this new challenge. However, Robert … Continue Reading
September 19, 2008Letter to Secretary Peake Regarding Witness Retaliation
September 19, 2008 The Honorable James Peake Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20420 Dear Secretary Peake: Last week, the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing on the destruction of an irreplaceable collection of legionella and other infectious bacteria and environmental specimens by high-ranking officials of the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS).[1] The specimens were housed in the Special … Continue Reading
August 25, 2008Letter to President Cicerone (NAS) Supporting a Comprehensive and Objective Analysis of Energy Technologies
August 5, 2008 Dr. Ralph J. CiceronePresidentNational Academy of Sciences2101 Constitution AvenueWashington, DC 20418Dear Dr. Cicerone:We are writing to express our support for the National Research Council’s initiative to develop a comprehensive and objective analysis of the nation’s energy technology options. The Committee on Science and Technology is committed to promoting research and development for a prosperous and sustainable energy future. Our nation’s capacity for innovation … Continue Reading
August 21, 2008Miller letter to Inspector General Maquire Regarding Technical Flaws in Terrorist Watch List
August 21, 2008 Mr. Edward Maquire Inspector General Office of the Director of National Intelligence Washington, D.C. 20511 Dear Inspector General Maquire: One of the key findings of the 9.11 Commission[1] that investigated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was that the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities had failed to "connect the dots" and share vital terrorist intelligence that may have detected the 9.11 plot and possibly prevented those attacks. One of the … Continue Reading
July 28, 2008Chairmen request more documents related to FutureGen
July 28, 2008 The Honorable Samuel W. Bodman Secretary of Energy U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20585 Dear Secretary Bodman: Since April of this year, the Committee on Science and Technology has been attempting to determine the basis for your decision to terminate the Department's participation in the FutureGen project as previously agreed to through a cooperative agreement with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance. The agreement … Continue Reading
July 23, 2008Miller Letter to the Acting Director of the Federal Aviation Administration
July 23, 2008 The Honorable Robert Sturgell Acting Administrator Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20591 Dear Mr. Sturgell, Over the past months, the country has witnessed a string of airline safety system failures involving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The result of failures at major airlines to implement Airworthiness Directives properly has led to the cancellation of thousands of flights stranding hundreds of thousands of … Continue Reading
July 17, 2008Miller letter to Secretary Chertoff Regarding DHS Reversal on Students Inappropriately Categorized as “Security Threats”
July 17, 2008 The Honorable Michael Chertoff Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security 245 Murray Lane, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20528 Dear Secretary Chertoff: On June 6, 2008, I wrote to you questioning why foreign graduate students enrolled in a joint program of oceanography and applied oceanographic science and engineering that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology runs with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) were determined to pose a "security threat" … Continue Reading
July 08, 2008Gordon/ Wu/ Udall Letter urging Secretary of Commerce to form independent panel to investigate the safety programs at NIST
July 8, 2008 The Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez Secretary of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20230 Dear Secretary Gutierrez: We are writing in response to the accidental release of plutonium at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at Boulder on 9 June, 2008. We urge you to immediately establish an independent blue ribbon panel to thoroughly investigate the environmental, health, and safety programs at NIST-especially … Continue Reading
July 02, 2008Gordon Letter to FAA Regarding Aircraft Wiring Safety
July 2, 2008 Hon. Robert Sturgell Administrator (Acting) Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20591 Dear Mr. Administrator: It has been more than a decade since two airliners - TWA Flight 800 and Swissair Flight 111 - crashed with the loss of four hundred and fifty-nine lives. Subsequent investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada identified faulty wiring as a critical contributing … Continue Reading
July 02, 2008Gordon Letter to President Bush in Support of International Cooperation in Carbon-Capture Technology
July 2, 2008 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Bush: I am writing to add my support to the global strategy to launch 20 carbon capture and storage demonstration projects by 2010 as recommended by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF). I was pleased to see that the Joint Statement by the G-8 Energy Ministers on June 8, 2008, … Continue Reading
June 26, 2008FutureGen Subpoena Memo
Read the … Continue Reading
June 19, 2008Gordon/ Wu/ Udall Letter Expressing Concern Over the Release of Plutonium at NIST's Boulder Laboratory
June 19, 2008 Dr. James Turner Acting Director National Institute of Standards and Technology 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1070 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1070 Dear Dr. Turner, We are writing this letter to express our concern over the accidental release of plutonium at NIST's Boulder Laboratory on June, 9. We are relieved to learn there were no immediate injuries due to the incident, however we are troubled by changing information, that health and safety protocols were not strictly followed, … Continue Reading
June 11, 2008Miller letter to DHS to Withdraw Inappropriate Classification of Students as “Security Threats”
June 6,2008 The Honorable Michael Chertoff Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security 245 Murray Lane, S. W. Washington, D.C. 20528 Dear Secretary Chertoff: It recently came to my attention that a number of foreign graduate oceanography students who had applied to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to allow them access to American ports were denied this credential and told that they have been determined … Continue Reading
June 11, 2008Miller Letter to OMB Asking for the Release Documentation on Toxic Chemical
Ms. Susan DudleyAdministratorOffice of Information and Regulatory AffairsOffice of Management and BudgetThe New Executive Office BuildingRoom 5001725 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20503Dear Ms. Dudley,As you know, the Subcommittee has been working to understand the process by which the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget manages proposed entries to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System … Continue Reading
April 16, 2008Letter to the President Supporting the American COMPETES Act
April 16, 2008 The Honorable George W. Bush United States President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: As leaders of America's business, academic and research communities, we are deeply concerned about the state of our country's competitive position in the world. Though there are many issues relevant to protecting our interests in the global marketplace, none is more pressing than the need for additional funding for scientific … Continue Reading