Science Committee Democrats Urge Comprehensive, Fully Funded Approach to U.S. Tsunami Readiness Plan
(Washington, DC) "Preparedness and education are key," a panel of experts told the House Science Committee today during the first Congressional hearing to examine tsunami threats and preparedness since devastating surges killed hundreds of thousands of people along the Indian Ocean in December. In response to the tragedy and the Administration's plan announced January 14, 2005 to expand and upgrade the United States' tsunami warning system, the Committee today questioned witnesses … Continue Reading
January 14, 2005Gordon Responds to Administration Announcement on U.S. Tsunami Warning System
(Washington, DC) In response to the Administration's announced plan today to expand the United States' tsunami warning system to the Atlantic region, Science Committee Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) issued the following statement: "At first glance the Administration's plan appears to include the components of a much needed national system. Deployment of tsunami detection buoys and expansion of earthquake detection sensors in the Atlantic and Caribbean will allow us to detect tsunamis … Continue Reading
December 13, 2004Statement by Rep. Bart Gordon on the Resignation of NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe
"I want to thank Administrator O'Keefe for his service to NASA. He led the agency during some trying times. However, his successor is going to have some serious problems to address. These include returning the Shuttle to flight safely, dealing with the financial and cost management issues that continue to plague the agency, ensuring that adequate resources are provided to maintain a world-class workforce and infrastructure, and reconciling the agency's goals with the constrained … Continue Reading
December 08, 2004Statement by Rep. Bart Gordon on the Release of the National Academies' Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope
"The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the world's premier scientific instruments. Congress and NASA owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Louis Lanzerotti and the other members of the Hubble assessment panel for their thorough and thoughtful analysis of the risks and benefits of extending Hubble's useful life. Their central recommendation is unambiguous: NASA should pursue a Shuttle servicing mission to Hubble. I hope that NASA will heed the Academies' assessment and move forward to … Continue Reading
December 02, 2004Science Committee Democrats Question EPA Administrator about Chemical Industry Role in Pesticide Exposure Study
On Tuesday, three senior Members of the Science Committee sent letters to the Administrator of EPA expressing their concerns regarding a cooperative research agreement between EPA and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) - an entity funded by the chemical industry - that would study the effects on children of exposures to dangerous chemicals. Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN; ranking Member on the Committee), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX; ranking Member on the Research Subcommittee) and … Continue Reading
October 26, 2004Bush Administration May Have Violated Law in Scientific Panel Process
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), a member of the Committee on Science, charged today that members of the Bush Administration may have violated federal law by asking scientific advisory appointees their political affiliations or voting records and excluding those who did not support the administration party or candidates. Based on a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which determined such practices to be illegal and cited several reported instances, Baird … Continue Reading
October 26, 2004Rep. Gordon’s Grade for the Administration’s Science and Technology Portfolio: D
Today, Rep. Bart Gordon, Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Science, released a report on the failure of the Bush Administration and the Republican leadership in Congress to harness science and technology toward the solution of the Nation's pressing problems. Rep. Gordon's overall grade for the Republicans' efforts in science and technology was a "D". The report, entitled Science and Technology: The Untapped American Resource, describes Democratic priorities in these areas, as … Continue Reading
September 24, 2004Reps. Gordon and Costello Press Administration for Data on the S&T Workforce
On September 22, 2004, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) urged the White House to follow up on recommendations contained in a report it commissioned on data regarding the U.S. scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics workforce. Rep. Gordon, Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, was joined by Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL) in asking Dr. John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), to outline the White House's planned actions. The June 2004 RAND report, … Continue Reading
September 15, 2004Congressman Gordon Responds to NSF Appointment
The President announced today that he will nominate Dr. Arden Bement as the new Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Bement, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has also been serving as acting Director of NSF since February of this year. The appointment comes just 3 days before the expiration of the 210-day statutory limitation on an individual serving as acting head of a Federal agency. In reacting to the news of the appointment, Rep. Bart … Continue Reading
July 23, 2004Representative Lampson Asks President Bush to Save Hurricane Tracking Satellite
Washington, DC - Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX), Ranking Member of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, sent a letter today asking President Bush to reverse NASA's decision to terminate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) later this year. In his letter, Rep. Lampson noted that "TRMM has proven to be an invaluable resource to weather forecasting agencies around the world in improving hurricane and typhoon tracking. In the United States, both the National Hurricane Center … Continue Reading
July 22, 2004Politics Should Not Intrude Into Scientific Advisory Panel Appointment Process
Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member on the Basic Research Subcommittee, and Brian Baird (D-WA) today released statements endorsing the work of the National Academy of Sciences relating to appointments to Scientific Advisory Panels. Ms. Johnson said, "I am very pleased that the National Academy has decided to take up the question of how to attract the best scientific advisors to government service. Both Mr. Baird and I have been concerned about this very issue … Continue Reading
July 13, 2004Science Committee Democrats React to National Academies' Report on Hubble
The National Academies this afternoon released an interim letter report from the committee that is undertaking an assessment of options for extending the life of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The committee was established by the NASA Administrator in response to Congressional concerns over his January 2004 announcement that NASA would undertake no further servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. It was asked to assess the viability of a Shuttle-based servicing mission to Hubble, survey … Continue Reading
July 09, 2004Slim Manufacturing Bill Slips Through House
Today, the House passed by voice vote H.R. 3598, the Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act. Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN), Ranking Member of the Science Committee, commented upon final passage that, "This modest bill comes at a time when we need a much bolder initiative. Since January 2001, 2.7 million manufacturing jobs have disappeared. Those workers deserve more than the half-loaf that this bill provides. We have missed a great opportunity to provide for a wide range of … Continue Reading
June 16, 2004Small Manufacturing Bill Moved by Committee Not Up to Big Problems in Manufacturing Sector
Today, the Science Committee passed H.R. 3598, the Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2004, on a largely party-line vote. All Republicans supported the bill, while all Democrats save one voted against the bill. Said Mr. Mark Udall (D-CO), the prime sponsor of a broader manufacturing bill (H.R. 2908) that was introduced in the House nearly a year ago: "The bill before the Committee today was really misnamed, for it did almost nothing more than reauthorize the Manufacturing … Continue Reading
May 20, 2004Science Democrats Press for Scientific Integrity
Yesterday, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA) released a General Accounting Office report on ways to improve the integrity of the Scientific Advisory Panel appointment process. Representatives Johnson and Baird also released a letter to the President asking him to instruct executive offices and agencies to carry out all the recommendations included in the GAO report. GAO has very specific steps that should be embraced by the Office of Government … Continue Reading
April 21, 2004Democrats Look to Strengthen Green Chemistry R&D
Today, Congress passed H.R. 3970, the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2004. Ranking Democratic Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) commented, "The bill is a good, but small, first step, to encourage research into chemical products and processes that are less toxic to our environment and less dangerous to public health." The bill adopted today had originally included language that seemed to actually cut the funding of the programs already underway at the National Science … Continue Reading
April 01, 2004Democrats: Green Chemistry Bill a "Missed Opportunity"
Today, the Science Committee passed H.R. 3970, the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2004, after rejecting Democratic amendments dealing with education and training, government purchase incentives, barriers to commercialization, environmental concerns, homeland security, and adequate levels of funding. Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Ranking Member of the Committee, noted: "Passage of this bill is a missed opportunity. The Committee should have taken the time to increase and … Continue Reading
April 01, 2004GAO Questions Nuclear Safety Management at DOE Labs
In December 2002, the Science Committee leadership asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to review management challenges at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Labs. That request came on the heels of press reports regarding nuclear safety and security lapses and property and financial improprieties. Today, the first of two reports to come from that request was released by GAO. GAO's report (Department of Energy: Mission Support Challenges Remain at Los … Continue Reading
March 25, 2004Democratic, Republican Budget Resolutions Treat R&D Very Differently
Today, the House of Representatives passed a blueprint for the Federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2005) and beyond. The Republican budget (H. Con. Res. 393, introduced by Rep. Jim Nussle) passed the House by a vote of 215-212, while the Democratic budget, offered by Rep. John Spratt, was defeated 194-232. The Nussle and Spratt plans have very different allocations for all domestic discretionary programs, including research and development (R&D) programs. Function 250 … Continue Reading
March 11, 2004NASA Reviewer Calls for Further Study of Decision to Abandon Hubble Telescope
According to a letter to U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Admiral Harold W. Gehman, former Chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), has endorsed a "deep and rich" study on whether to extend the life of the Hubble Telescope. Colorado Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO), who is sponsoring House Resolution 550, which calls for the formation of an independent panel to conduct such a study, welcomed Gehman's remarks. "I am pleased that Admiral Gehman agrees … Continue Reading