Ranking Member Lofgren Welcomes Democratic Members to the Science Committee
(Washington, DC)—This morning, fifteen Democratic Members’ appointments to serve on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee were approved. As of this morning, the roster for the Minority of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is as follows: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL) Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR) … Continue Reading
January 26, 2023Ranking Member Lofgren Statement on NASA Day of Remembrance
(Washington, DC)—Today is NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance, a day to honor members of the NASA community who lost their lives in the pursuit of advancing our nation’s exploration of space. Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) made the following statement. “Today we pause to remember the brave men and women of NASA who made the ultimate sacrifice while working to further our nation’s endeavors in space. Space exploration is a noble effort that can advance our … Continue Reading
January 13, 2023Ranking Member Lofgren Statement on NASA and NOAA 2022 Climate Data Assessments
(Washington, DC)—Yesterday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their assessments of 2022 global climate data. According to both reports, Earth continues its warming trend. Earlier this week, NOAA released their 2022 U.S. Climate Analysis and Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters Report, which found that the U.S. was struck with 18 separate billion-dollar disasters. “The 2022 … Continue Reading
January 13, 2023Lucas and Lofgren Introduce Bipartisan Bill on Commercial Remote Sensing
(Washington, DC) - This week, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced a bipartisan bill to support commercial remote sensing activities in the U.S. Remote sensing uses data collected from satellites to produce images of Earth, which can be used to improve operations in a wide variety of industries and advance our understanding of the environment. The bill renews an expired requirement for the … Continue Reading
December 23, 2022Rep. Lofgren Selected to Lead Democrats on House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
(Washington, DC) – Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) reacted to Lofgren’s selection by the House Democratic Caucus to be the Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee in the 118th Congress. “I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren on being selected to serve as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,” … Continue Reading
December 22, 2022Chairwoman Johnson Introduces Bill to Advance Buildings Technology R&D and Lower Emissions
(Dallas, TX)—Yesterday, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) introduced the Building Technologies Research and Development Act. This bill would establish a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program at the Department of Energy (DOE) related to building technologies that would improve building efficiency, develop smart grid interactive buildings, and improve advanced building construction and retrofits, among other things. “Addressing the climate … Continue Reading
December 21, 2022Chairwoman Johnson Applauds Enactment of Law to Prevent and Advance Knowledge of Major Fires
(Dallas, TX)—This week, President Biden signed into law H.R. 7077, the Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act. This bipartisan law authorizes the U.S. Fire Administration to conduct on-site investigations of major fires. The law will help bring to bear the expertise of the U.S. Fire Administration following major fires to contribute to what we can learn from these fires and how we can prevent them from occurring in the future. The Act was marked up in the Science Committee earlier … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022Chairwoman Johnson Applauds House Passage of PRECIP Act
(Washington, DC)—Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1437, which includes the Providing Research and Estimates of Changes in Precipitation (PRECIP) Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation addresses the destructive and deadly impacts of extreme precipitation across the country by directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide comprehensive and regularly updated Federal precipitation information. The PRECIP Act was introduced … Continue Reading
December 14, 2022Committee Members Beyer and Norcross Introduce Legislation To Establish And Clarify Space Situational Awareness Roles For Civilian Agencies
(Washington, DC)—Today, Chairman Don Beyer (D-VA) of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, along with Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ), introduced the Space Safety and Situational Awareness Transition Act of 2022. Space situational awareness (SSA) provides a foundation for understanding where space objects are now, predicting their future trajectories, and evaluating the risk of potential collisions to operating satellites and human spaceflight safety. SSA is … Continue Reading
December 13, 2022Committee Members Congratulate NIF on Breakthrough Achievement of Fusion Ignition
(Washington, DC)—Today, the Department of Energy announced a major breakthrough in fusion energy. On December 5, 2022, researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) conducted an experiment that yielded the first-ever net-gain of fusion energy. In August of 2021, NIF reached an energy yield of 1.3 megajoules (MJ). In last Monday’s experiment, they reached more than 3 MJ. Fusion “ignition” refers to the moment when the … Continue Reading
December 11, 2022Chairs Johnson and Beyer Congratulate NASA and Partners after Orion’s Successful Return
(Washington, DC)—Today, NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near Guadalupe Island, off the coast of Mexico. This marks the culmination of the Artemis I mission. After Orion is recovered, NASA will continue to evaluate and inspect the spacecraft as they prepare for future missions. “Congratulations to NASA and its partners on this magnificent feat,” said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “From launch to splashdown and its … Continue Reading
December 06, 2022Energy Subcommittee Leaders Bowman and Weber Introduce Wind Energy Research Bill
(Washington, DC)—Today, Energy Subcommittee Chairman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) was joined by Ranking Member Randy Weber (R-TX) in introducing the bipartisan Airborne Wind Energy Research and Development Act. The bill would establish a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program at the Department of Energy to improve understanding of the benefits, design, and impacts of airborne wind energy generation. “Airborne wind has enormous potential to accelerate the … Continue Reading
November 29, 2022Science Committee Members Stevens and Tonko Visit NIST
(Washington, DC)—Today, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) led a visit to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Chairwoman Stevens was joined by Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY). The Members toured several NIST facilities and discussed ongoing research with NIST staff including robotics, neutron research, and trace explosive detection. “Since Michigan’s 11th District sent me to … Continue Reading
November 21, 2022Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas urge FCC to limit spectrum sharing to avoid harmful interference in the 1675-1680 MHz band
(Washington, DC)—Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) sent letters to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks, and Nathan Simginton urging that the FCC stop the consideration of the proposal to share the 1675-1680 MHz frequency band with commercial wireless carriers for downlink purposes. The 1675-1680 MHz band is critical to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Continue Reading
November 16, 2022Science Committee Members Celebrate Successful Launch of Artemis I
(Washington, DC)—Today, Artemis I, the first integrated Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew vehicle, successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning its four to six-week mission. The Artemis I mission is an uncrewed flight test that will demonstrate the performance of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft that will eventually carry astronauts to and from deep space destinations. The mission will test our capabilities to orbit the … Continue Reading
November 11, 2022Chairwoman Johnson Applauds Biden Administration Plan to Address Methane Emissions
(Washington, DC)—Today at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, President Biden announced the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) supplemental proposal to reduce methane and other harmful pollution from oil and natural gas operations. This supplemental proposal comes as an update and expansion of EPA’s November 2021 proposal to reduce methane emissions. “Addressing methane emissions is vital to America’s ability to confront the climate crisis and reach its … Continue Reading
November 10, 2022Science Committee Chairs Applaud Successful Launch of JPSS-2 Satellite
(Washington, DC)—Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission was successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the polar satellite series. The satellite will orbit the Earth from the North pole to South pole—capturing critical data to improve weather forecasts, helping scientists predict and prepare for extreme weather events and monitor climate … Continue Reading
November 08, 2022Chairwoman Johnson Celebrates National STEM Day
(Washington, DC)— Every year on November 8, the United States celebrates National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Day to encourage students of all ages to explore opportunities in these fields. “On National STEM Day we celebrate science, technology, engineering, math, and all those who work in and pursue these ever-evolving fields,” said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “On this special day we must also double down on our efforts to … Continue Reading
November 07, 2022Chairwoman Johnson Applauds Biden-Harris Administration Announcement of 1.5 Billion for U.S. National Labs
(Washington, DC)—Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announced $1.5 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to build and make updates to America’s national laboratories. “I am very pleased that the Biden Administration is distributing $1.55 billion for research infrastructure at the National Laboratories stewarded by the Department of Energy,” said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “This funding, made … Continue Reading
October 18, 2022Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Send Letter to OSTP Director Prabhakar Requesting Implementation Details of New Memorandum on Access to Federally Funded Research
(Washington, DC)—Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) sent a joint letter on public access to federally funded research to the newly confirmed Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Dr. Arati Prabhakar. The letter follows OSTP’s August 25, 2022 Memorandum to Executive Departments and Agencies on Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research. Among other policy changes, the new … Continue Reading