Ranking Member Johnson Requests Comptroller General Examine Reports of DOE Withholding Funds from ARPA-E
(Washington, DC) - Recently, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry requesting information on reports that ARPA-E is currently subject to a “no contract action” order which prevents the program from taking any action to distribute and manage FY2016 or prior year funds as directed by law, and that requests for routine no cost extensions of contracts are also not being considered by the agency. The Department of Energy (DOE) responded on May … Continue Reading
May 04, 2017Ranking Member Johnson’s Rebuttal to the Chairman’s Letter to Attorney General Sessions
(Washington, DC) - Last week, Chairman Lamar Smith sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions referring the CEO of Platte River Networks (PRN), Treve Suazo, for prosecution. PRN is one of the companies the Chairman pursued in the course of his partisan election-year “investigation” into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email server. Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Attorney General Sessions to correct several significant factual and legal … Continue Reading
April 26, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Questions DOE Withholding Funds from ARPA-E
(Washington, DC) -Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry requesting information on reports that ARPA-E is currently subject to a “no contract action” order which prevents the program from taking any action to distribute and manage FY2016 or prior year funds as directed by law, and that requests for routine no cost extensions of contracts are also not being considered by the agency. Ranking Member Johnson said in the letter, “Taken … Continue Reading
April 22, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Applauds Mission of the March for Science
(Washington, DC) -Today, science advocates, educators, supporters, and scientists are taking a stance in defense of science, scientists, and evidence-based policymaking that have been under attack, and marching on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in addition to hundreds of satellite marches across the globe. Earlier this week, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), along with all of the Democratic Members of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology introduced H.Res. 273, … Continue Reading
April 19, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Statement on ALA’s “State of the Air” Report
(Washington, DC) -Today, the American Lung Association (ALA) released their annual “State of the Air” report. For the past 18 years, the ALA has analyzed data from official air quality monitors to compile this report. Top-line findings: 125 million Americans, or about 4 in 10, live in counties with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution Many cities continued reducing harmful ozone pollution and year-round levels of particle pollution, showing the continued success of cleanup measures … Continue Reading
April 13, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Urges Investigation of EPA Leadership
(Washington, DC) -Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Chairman Lamar Smith requesting a Committee investigation of senior EPA political appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for potentially misleading Congress regarding the cost of H.R. 1430, the HONEST Act. Bloomberg BNA recently reported that: “EPA staff comments on extensive burdens linked to a controversial House-passed bill never made it to the Congressional Budget Office. That’s because … Continue Reading
March 30, 2017House Passes Another Bill That Would Harm Science at EPA
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House passed H.R. 1431 - the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2017, by a vote of 229-193. Republicans claim that H.R. 1431 restores balance and independence to EPA’s Science Advisory Board and that it increases the transparency of and public participation in EPA’s scientific review process. Under this guise of increased transparency and public participation, H.R. 1431 sets out requirements that will weaken the credibility and effectiveness of the Board’s … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017Despite Strong Democratic Opposition, House Passes Bill to Hamstring EPA
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House passed H.R. 1430 - the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act of 2017, by a vote of 228-194. Republicans claim that H.R. 1430 increases the EPA’s transparency and accountability by ensuring that its regulations are based on public data that can be verified and reproduced. In reality, H.R. 1430 prevents EPA from functioning effectively and using the most relevant scientific data. Any effort to limit the scope of science that can be considered by EPA … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017“Much Ado About Nothing” A Minority Review of the Majority’s Climate Science Investigation
(Washington, DC) - Today, during the Full Committee hearing, “Climate Science: Assumptions, Policy Implications, and the Scientific Method,” Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) released a Minority staff report on the Majority’s nearly two year-long fruitless investigation of a key climate science study co-authored by nine NOAA scientists. The Majority has made multiple false claims and unsupported allegations during their investigation of this study, which appeared in the prestigious … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017Ranking Member Johnson's Statement on President Trump’s Energy Independence Executive Order
(Washington, DC) - Earlier today, President Trump signed an executive order that aims to roll back a number of Obama Administration actions on climate change, including ‘rewriting’ the Clean Power Plan. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. “Today’s executive order is another misguided effort by the President to cripple the EPA and undo important environmental protections put into place by the Obama Administration. Scientific evidence shows us that the … Continue Reading
March 16, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Statement on President Trump’s FY18 Budget Blueprint
(Washington, DC) - Earlier today, President Trump’s FY18 budget blueprint was released. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. “Based upon what we knew of the President’s plan to plus up defense spending at the expense of all of our non-defense discretionary spending and leaks in the press regarding slashing EPA and NOAA, I knew that this budget was going to be very bad for science, environmental protection, R&D, and clean energy. It is worse than I thought … Continue Reading
March 09, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Statement on EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is holding a markup of H.R. 1430, the “Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act of 2017” (HONEST Act), and H.R. 1431, the “EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2017.” Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson’s (D-TX) statement on H.R. 1431 is below. Thank you Chairman Smith. Like the HONEST Act, I strongly oppose the Science Advisory Reform Act. And, at the core, I oppose this bill for many of the same … Continue Reading
March 07, 2017NASA Transition Authorization Act Passes House
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House passed S. 442, the “NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017”, by voice vote under suspension of the rules. This bipartisan and bicameral bill authorizes NASA appropriations for Fiscal Year 2017. On February 17, 2017, S. 442 was passed in the Senate by Unanimous Consent. Among its notable provisions, the bill puts America on the path to sending humans to the surface of Mars; emphasizes the importance of safety in NASA’s implementation of the Commercial Crew … Continue Reading
March 03, 2017Ranking Members Johnson, Pallone, Cummings, Grijalva Urge Inspectors General to Protect Scientists and Data
(Washington, DC) -Today House Ranking Members, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee; Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-6) of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Rep. Elijah J. Cummings (MD-7) of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee; and Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-3) of the Natural Resources Committee, wrote a letter to the Inspectors General of the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Department of Health & … Continue Reading
March 02, 2017Reps. Tonko, Johnson, Tsongas, Lowenthal Introduce Bill to Protect Scientific Integrity in Federal Research
(Washington, DC) - Today, House Science Committee members Representative Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), along with Representatives Niki Tsongas (MA-3) and Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), announced the introduction of the Scientific Integrity Act requiring U.S. federal agencies to adopt or strengthen policies to insulate government-directed research from the influence of political pressure and special interests. The bill was introduced with a total of 77 original … Continue Reading
February 28, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Statement Ahead of President Trump’s Address
(Washington, DC) - Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement regarding President Trump’s budget blueprint ahead of his address this evening to a joint session of Congress. “Though the details on the President’s proposed budget are few and far between, one thing that we know is that non-defense discretionary spending will be slashed. Non-defense discretionary spending includes the bulk of our R&D, education, and innovation programs. It is the spending that helps … Continue Reading
February 24, 2017Ranking Member Johnson Alerts Administrator Pruitt of Environmental Repercussions of Pebble Mine
(Washington, DC) -Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Scott Pruitt, to underline the known environmental impacts of developing the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Earlier this week, Chairman Lamar Smith made a recommendation to the Administrator to rescind the EPA’s 2014 decision to use Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act to limit the development of the proposed mine. Canadian owned mining … Continue Reading
February 17, 2017Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on the Confirmation of Scott Pruitt as EPA Administrator
(Washington, DC) -Today, the Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) issued the following statement: "There's not much that can be said in opposition to Scott Pruitt as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator that hasn't already been said by scores of environmentalists, former EPA employees, and my Democratic colleagues in the Senate. Mr. Pruitt is unfit to be the leader of EPA, the … Continue Reading
February 16, 2017Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on Chairman’s Re-Issuance of Subpoenas to NY & MA Attorneys General
(Washington, DC) – Today, the Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee re-issued subpoenas to the New York and Massachusetts Attorney Generals. The New York and Massachusetts AG Offices are investigating potential fraud by ExxonMobil related to the alleged efforts by company executives to hide from their shareholders scientific data that identified the reality of climate change. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) issued the following statement: … Continue Reading
February 14, 2017Ranking Member Johnson’s Response to Majority Criticism of Minority’s Cybersecurity Oversight Request
(Washington, DC) - Today, during the Research and Technology Subcommittee hearing, “Strengthening U.S. Cybersecurity Capabilities”, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement in response to statements made by Majority staff in an article in The Hill yesterday and submitted the documents below for the record. The statements were made in response to a letter sent by Ranking Member Johnson, Congressman Beyer, and Congressman Lipinski regarding President Trump’s … Continue Reading