House Passes Legislation to Address Climate Change by Investing in Clean Energy Research and Development
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House of Representatives voted on and passed H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act. H.R. 4447 includes programs to develop and deploy clean energy resources; improve the efficiency of our homes and businesses; electrify our transportation sector; modernize the grid and enhance its resiliency; prioritize the needs of environmental justice communities; reduce carbon pollution from industrial and traditional sources; develop advanced nuclear energy … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Urges DOE Secretary Brouillette to Make Public the Findings of the Interconnections Seam Study
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Brouillette requesting the agency release the findings of the multi-laboratory research effort called the Interconnections Seam Study. DOE initiated the Seam Study in 2016 to model how a more-connected national grid could support grid stability, efficient resource distribution, and lower power prices for consumers. In the letter, the Chairwoman noted that DOE's reported … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020Committee Members Request GAO Examination of the Impact of More Frequent and Severe Wildfires on Air Quality and Public Health
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Environment Chairwoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Ami Bera (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), and Ben McAdams (D-UT) sent a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluate the growing impacts of increasingly frequent and severe climate … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Calls for Resignation of HHS Assistant Secretary Caputo after Investigation finds Officials Tampered with CDC Reports on COVID-19
(Washington, DC) - Over the weekend, Politico published the results of an investigation that found that political officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have routinely altered bulletins produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the risks of COVID-19 for political purposes. The New York Times reported that on Sunday one of these officials, Assistant Secretary Michael Caputo, also accused CDC scientists of "sedition" and encouraged his … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Introduce Forensic Science Research and Standards Legislation
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday afternoon, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced H.R. 8239, the Forensic Science Research and Standards Act of 2020. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that forensic analyses used in criminal investigations and presented in court are founded on rigorous science and yield evidence that judges, prosecutors, defendants, and juries can trust. The legislation … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Voices Concern Over Climate Denier Named as a Top Advisor at NOAA
(Dallas, TX) - Over the weekend, Dr. David Legates was named deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for environmental observation and prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This newly created position at NOAA does not require Senate confirmation. Dr. Legates is a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware and an outspoken denier that humans contribute to climate change. He is affiliated with the Heartland Institute and his … Continue Reading
September 11, 2020Chairs Johnson and Foster Issue Statement on Clearview AI’s New Contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(Washington, DC) -- Earlier this spring, Committee leaders sent two letters to Clearview AI raising serious questions about privacy and security of its facial recognition technology and image databases. The Committee’s most recent communications with Clearview AI have only served to reinforce our concerns that the company’s protocols for ensuring accuracy in its facial recognition algorithm may be inadequate. Recently, Clearview AI signed a new contract with … Continue Reading
September 09, 2020Chairwoman Johnson and Chairman Foster Call for Scientific Integrity and Transparency in NIH Funding Policy
(Washington, DC) - Today, House Science, Space, and Technology Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Subcommittee on Investigation and Oversight Chairman Bill Foster (D-IL) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins raising concerns that actions recommended by a new NIH Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory, if carried out, may violate the NIH Scientific Integrity Policy. "It is critical for NIH to … Continue Reading
August 18, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Statement on Extension of EPA Science Advisory Board Nomination Period
(Dallas, TX) - Late last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-opened the Science Advisory Board (SAB) nomination period through August 31 in reaction to an April court ruling striking down former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's much-criticized 2017 policy prohibiting EPA grant recipients from serving on Agency advisory boards. The Agency's previous position asserted that individuals awarded EPA grants were considered to have a conflict-of-interest. EPA is scheduled in the coming … Continue Reading
August 14, 2020Science Committee Members Introduce Legislation to Create New Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
(Washington, DC) - Today, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) along with Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK), Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act. This legislation creates a new postdoctoral fellowship program at the National Science Foundation to help … Continue Reading
August 14, 2020Committee Chairwomen Request GAO Examination of Federal PFAS R&D Efforts
(Washington, DC)- Yesterday, Subcommittee on Energy Chair Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Subcommittee on Environment Chairwoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), and Subcommittee on Research and Technology Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) sent a letter to Comptroller Gene Dodaro requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine how the Federal Government has coordinated research and development (R&D) activities on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) across different agencies. The … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Statement on the Passing of Dr. Michael Freilich
(Dallas, TX) - Earlier today, it was announced that former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Director, Dr. Michael Freilich, passed away. Dr. Freilich led NASA's work on climate change, severe weather, the atmosphere, the oceans, sea ice and glaciers, and the land surface for over 12 years before retiring in 2019. Earlier this year, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and their international partners announced that they renamed an … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Encourage NOAA to Incorporate Scientific Innovation into Earth Prediction Innovation Center
(Washington, DC) - The Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) was authorized by Congress to create a community-driven modeling system that leverages innovations from the broader weather enterprise. On November 20, 2019, the Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing titled, "A Task of EPIC Proportions: Reclaiming U.S. Leadership in Weather Modeling and Prediction." At the hearing expert witnesses testified that EPIC must be independent, autonomous, and encourage participation and … Continue Reading
August 02, 2020Chairwomen Johnson and Horn Celebrate Successful Splashdown of SpaceX Demo-2
(Washington, DC) - Today, NASA Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken splashed down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, successfully concluding the first crewed demonstration flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The flight was the final flight test for SpaceX's crew transportation system in preparation for certification and operational crew transportation services to and from the International Space Station. "After a momentous launch to space from American soil for the first time … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Requests National Academies Study on the Influence of Systemic Racism in Academia
(Dallas, TX) - On Wednesday, July 29, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) President Marcia McNutt requesting a committee of distinguished individuals be convened to assess the influence of systemic racism in academia on the careers of individuals belonging to racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in the scientific, technical, and medical workforce. The requested study would review the ways … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020Chairwomen Johnson and Horn Congratulate NASA on Successful Launch of Mars Rover Perseverance
(Washington, DC) - This morning, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Perseverance's main objective while on Mars is to search for evidence of ancient life and collect geological samples for a future Mars mission to potentially bring back to Earth. Attached to Perseverance, and also en route to Mars, is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Congratulates ITER Team on the Launch of the Assembly Phase
(Dallas, TX) - This morning, multiple Heads of State and senior government officials representing each ITER Member gathered in Paris to celebrate the official Start of Machine Assembly for the ITER project. Based in Southern France, the ITER project is a collaborative experiment among the seven ITER Members-the United States, the European Union, China, India, Japan, Korea, and Russia-with the objective of constructing the world's largest fusion device and the first to produce net energy. … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Submits Comment on Environmental Justice Impacts of Proposed EPA Clean Air Act Benefit-Cost Rule
(Dallas, TX) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) submitted a comment on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed rule entitled "Increasing Consistency and Transparency in Considering Benefits and Costs in the Clean Air Act Rulemaking Process." The proposed rule would enact a number of changes to EPA's methodologies and procedures for conducting Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) as a part of Clean Air Act rulemakings. These changes could undermine the Agency's ability to … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Submits Comment on Environmental Justice Impacts of Proposed EPA Clean Air Act Benefit-Cost Rule
(Dallas, TX) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) submitted a comment on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed rule entitled "Increasing Consistency and Transparency in Considering Benefits and Costs in the Clean Air Act Rulemaking Process." The proposed rule would enact a number of changes to EPA's methodologies and procedures for conducting Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) as a part of Clean Air Act rulemakings. These changes could undermine the Agency's ability to … Continue Reading
July 24, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Comments on Final Pebble Mine Environmental Impact Statement
(Dallas, TX) - Today, the final Environmental Impact Statement for the Pebble Mine, a massive proposed open-pit gold and copper mine at the heart of Bristol Bay, Alaska, was released by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Bristol Bay Watershed is home to the world's largest natural sockeye salmon run which is an integral part of the social and cultural heritage for native Alaskan tribes. It also supports more than 10,000 American jobs and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic … Continue Reading