Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Re-elected to Serve as Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman
(Dallas, TX) - Today, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) was unanimously re-elected to serve as the Chairwoman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for the 117th Congress by the House Democratic Caucus. Congresswoman Johnson is the first African American and the first female Chair of the Science Committee. Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. "I am thrilled and honored to have been re-elected to serve as the Chairwoman of the … Continue Reading
December 03, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Statement on 2020 Lancet Countdown Report
(Dallas, TX) -Today, The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, launched its 2020 Countdown on Health and Climate Change Global Report and U.S. Policy Brief. The annual report and brief, which the Lancet has released since 2016, tracks the impact of climate change on human health. This year's brief highlights the role of climate change in exacerbating health inequities and injustices. It provides recommendations such as transitioning to healthy, sustainable agricultural practices, removing … Continue Reading
December 02, 2020Chairwomen Johnson and Sherrill Statements on 50th Anniversary of EPA
(Washington, DC) -In the 1960s, the deterioration of America's environment, and its impacts on human health, were at the forefront of public discourse. To address these concerns, President Nixon proposed a plan to Congress in early 1970 that would consolidate federal environmental research, monitoring, and enforcement duties into one agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the EPA and the confirmation of William Ruckelshaus by … Continue Reading
November 24, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Applauds Biden Administration Pledge to Elevate Climate Issues
(Dallas, TX) - Shortly after being declared the presumptive winner of the 2020 presidential election, President-elect Joe Biden released the incoming Administration's four top priorities on his transition website, which included addressing climate change. Yesterday, the Biden transition team named former Secretary of State John Kerry to serve as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, a newly established position, that would have a seat on Biden's National Security Council (NSC). This is the … Continue Reading
November 23, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Questions David Legates Appointment to New Senior-Level NOAA Role and Detail to USGCRP
(Dallas, TX) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Neil Jacobs, questioning the creation of a new senior-level position within NOAA and the immediate appointment of David Legates to serve in that role as a Schedule C appointee. Congressional Committees were not given advance notice of the … Continue Reading
November 21, 2020Chairwomen Johnson and Horn Statement on Successful Launch of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite
(Washington, DC) - Today the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Earth observing satellite will monitor sea level and collect atmospheric data to improve our understanding of our changing climate. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is a joint U.S.-European mission named to honor former director of NASA's Earth Science Division, Dr. Michael Freilich, who passed away this summer. This is the first international satellite mission to study the … Continue Reading
November 19, 2020Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Comment on NSF Decision to Decommission Arecibo Observatory
(Washington, DC) - Today, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that after two unexpected cable failures and consultations with multiple engineering experts, leadership within NSF made the difficult decision to move forward with the controlled decommission of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Arecibo has been known for discoveries such as the 1974 detection of binary pulsars emitting gravitational waves, which earned the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics, and the first confirmation … Continue Reading
November 17, 2020Chairwomen Johnson and Horn Statement on a Successful SpaceX Crew-1 Mission
(Washington, DC) - On Sunday, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) were launched to the International Space Station on the first certified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. This is the first crew rotation mission of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and the first commercial crew flight to include an international partner. Late last night, the spacecraft successfully docked to the ISS. … Continue Reading
November 17, 2020Chairwomen Johnson and Stevens Criticize Appointment of Dr. Jason Richwine for New Senior NIST Role
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross questioning the last minute creation of a new senior position within the Department, Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, without providing notice to Congressional committees, and the appointment of Dr. Jason Richwine to serve in that role. Dr. Richwine has written … Continue Reading
November 10, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Questions Removal of Dr. Kuperberg from National Climate Assessment Panel
(Dallas, TX) - On Friday, November 7, the Trump Administration removed Dr. Michael Kuperberg from his detail as the Executive Director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). USGCRP, which is overseen by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), is the interagency body tasked with preparing the National Climate Assessment, a quadrennial scientific review of trends and effects of climate change required under the Global Change Research Act of 1990. Dr. … Continue Reading
November 02, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Celebrates Twenty Years of Human Presence on the International Space Station
(Dallas, TX) - Today marks 20 years of human presence on the International Space Station (ISS). On November 2, 2000, the first crew to inhabit the ISS, NASA Commander William Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko of Roscosmos, arrived at the Station. Since 2000, 241 individuals from 19 different countries have visited the ISS and taken part in this international research and development effort in space. "Twenty years of living and working in space, carrying out … Continue Reading
October 26, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Questions DOE Secretary Brouillette on Pattern of Suppressed or Modified DOE Funded Reports
(Dallas, TX) - On Friday, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a follow up letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Brouillette requesting the agency brief Committee staff on the multi-laboratory research effort called the Interconnections Seam Study. Seams was made available on DOE's website on October 22 after a delay of over two years. The Chairwoman expressed concern in the letter that Seams may be part of a pattern over roughly the last two years in which DOE-funded reports … Continue Reading
October 13, 2020Chairwoman Johnson Congratulates 2020 Nobel Laureates
(Dallas, TX) - Over the last week, the 2020 Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine as well as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, were announced. Each year, thousands of nominators submit candidates for the Nobel Prize. Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. "I am so delighted to learn of the number of women Nobel Laureates who have been recognized for their achievements in STEM fields this year, including Dr. Doudna who testified … Continue Reading
October 03, 2020Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(Washington, DC) - House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) along with House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced a bipartisan resolution to recognize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) 50th anniversary which falls on October 3. NOAA's history of environmental stewardship dates back to the 19thcentury, with the creation of the Survey of the Coast … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020Chairs Johnson and Foster Express Disapproval of Proposed Rule to Restrict Visas for International Students
Washington, DC) - Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule aimed at restricting visas for international students. The proposed rule would place an expiration date on visas that had previously lasted the duration of a student's degree program. Now most international student visas would expire after four years. Increased restrictions will also be placed on individuals born in a few dozen countries with a visa overstay rate that exceeds 10 percent, with visas … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020House 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