Energy Subcommittee Explores Innovative Nuclear Fission and Fusion Technologies
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Energy Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss public-private partnerships to advance research in innovative nuclear fission and fusion energy concepts and technologies. Testifying before the subcommittee were Dr. Mark Peters, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Global Security at Argonne National Laboratory; Mr. Frank Batten, Jr., President of The Landmark Foundation; Mr. Nathan Gilliland, CEO of General … Continue Reading
May 01, 2015Energy Subcommittee Discusses Grid-Scale Energy Storage and Battery Innovations
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Energy Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the Department of Energy’s role in advancing grid-scale energy storage technologies, which are critical to making our electric grid more efficient, reliable, and resilient. Testifying before the subcommittee was Dr. Imre Gyuk, Energy Storage Program Manager in the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the Department of Energy; Dr. Jud Virden, Jr., … Continue Reading
April 30, 2015Committee Passes NASA Reauthorization by Party-line Vote
(Washington, DC) - Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a markup of H.R. 2039, the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act for 2016 and 2017.” H.R. 2039 was approved by the Committee on a party-line vote. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said in her opening statement, “These cuts have absolutely nothing to do with making America safer or stronger. Nothing. They are simply the expression of the Majority’s … Continue Reading
April 30, 2015Subcommittee Democrats Emphasize Health-Based Rationale for Ozone Standards
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held its second hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone with an emphasis on how the standard may impact rural communities. Members highlighted that under the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to establish an ozone standard to protect public health based on science, not on costs of implementation. Ranking Member of the Environment … Continue Reading
April 30, 2015ICYMI – The Hill: Congress, we have a problem
Just a few months ago we marked up and passed out of the House a bipartisan NASA authorization. That bill was negotiated on a bipartisan basis, voice voted out of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and then passed by the full House in a similar fashion. Today, my committee, the Science, Space and Technology Committee, is marking up H.R. 2039 — a NASA reauthorization act that the Democrats on the committee did not even know existed until late last Friday. Needless to say, there was … Continue Reading
April 23, 2015Democrats Highlight Public Health Concerns related to Fracking and Advocate for Local Communities’ Rights
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing titled, “Hydraulic Fracturing: Banning Proven Technologies on Possibilities Instead of Probabilities.” The Majority’s stated purpose of the hearing was “to examine the science behind claims that hydraulic fracturing causes groundwater contamination and other environmental concerns.” Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said in her opening statement, “This hearing is advertised as being about the … Continue Reading
April 23, 2015ICYMI – Roll Call: Washington Is Broken: Partisan Legislation to Authorize American Research Is the Wrong Approach
We’ve heard it for several years now: Washington is broken. Progress has ground to a halt due to partisan politics. Partisanship dominates the headlines for many of the issues that come before Congress, be it immigration, tax reform, gun control or climate change. Many would expect these particular topics to incite more divisive rhetoric than others. For most of my colleagues, these issues represent sincere disagreements and heartfelt positions on which they campaigned and promised voters that … Continue Reading
April 22, 2015Ranking Member Johnson Introduces Democratic America Competes Reauthorization
(Washington, DC) - Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) was joined by every Democratic Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in introducing H.R. 1898, the America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2015. The bill would authorize research activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy (DOE). Ranking Member Johnson said, “The provisions in the Democratic alternative to the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2015Republicans Pass Partisan America COMPETES amidst Strong Democratic Opposition
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a contentious markup of the Majority’s authorization bill, H.R. 1806, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015. The bill was reported favorably out of Committee along party lines. The partisan process of today’s markup was a notable departure from previous Competes authorizations, which were both bipartisan and fully supported by the scientific community. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said, … Continue Reading
April 20, 2015ICYMI – Washington Post: FBI admits flaws in hair analysis over decades
(Washington, DC) - Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said, “I wanted to bring to your attention this article. This is just the latest in a long string of stories on flawed forensic work undermining the pursuit of justice in our courtrooms. Stories like this are the reason I have introduced the Forensic Science and Standards Act the past two Congresses and plan to do so again this Congress. The legislation would help prevent wrongful convictions by bringing reliable, science-based … Continue Reading
April 16, 2015Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on the Majority’s COMPETES Legislation
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, Chairman Smith introduced H.R. 1806, his version of the American COMPETES Reauthorization Act, and scheduled a full Committee markup of the bill for Wednesday April 22, 2015. Democratic Committee Members and staff saw the bill text for the first time just last night, at the same time as the general public. The Committee has held no legislative hearings on the bill text and no subcommittee markups are scheduled to consider the text. Instead, the bill is headed … Continue Reading
April 16, 2015Subcommittee Reviews the NASA Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2016
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Subcommittee on Space held a hearing titled, “An Overview of the Budget Proposal for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for Fiscal Year 2016.” Testifying before the Subcommittee was the Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Administration’s FY 2016 request proposes to fund NASA at a level of $18.53 billion, about a 2.8 percent increase over the FY 2015 enacted appropriation. … Continue Reading
April 15, 2015Republicans Hold yet another Hearing Attempting to Dismiss the Scientific Evidence behind Climate Change
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing ostensibly to discuss the President’s recent announcement of the U.S. commitment to the United Nations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the face of the growing threat of climate change. The intended target of the U.S. is to reduce GHG emissions 26 to 28% by 2025, through cost-effective measures achievable under current laws. However, the Republican Majority failed to invite a witness from the … Continue Reading
April 13, 2015GAO Study: Federal Agencies Split on Collecting Demographic Data for Recipients of Federal Research Grants
(Washington, DC) - Preliminary results from a new GAO study released today show that half of the federal agencies reviewed fail to collect demographic data for recipients of federal research grants that is necessary to determine whether gender discrimination is a factor in the distribution of federal research grants. The GAO study, requested by Congresswomen Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) shows that three of the six federal grant-making … Continue Reading
April 01, 2015Ranking Member Johnson Calls on President to Immediately Remove Commerce Inspector General Todd Zinser
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), sent a letter to the President calling on him to immediately remove the Department of Commerce Inspector General (IG) Todd Zinser from office. In the letter, Congresswoman Johnson wrote: “I am convinced that in order to establish an effective and ethically sound office a wholesale change in the top leadership of the Commerce Office of Inspector General is critically needed. I call on you to remove Mr. Zinser from … Continue Reading
March 26, 2015Ranking Member Johnson's Floor Statement on Troubled IG
Ranking Member Johnson calls for removal of Todd Zinser as Commerce IG. View her remarks here. View the Washington Post story … Continue Reading
March 26, 2015Committee Holds Hearing to Unjustly Attack EPA
(Washington, DC) - Today the Subcommittees on Oversight and Environment held a joint hearing titled, Destruction of Records at EPA - When Records Must Be Kept. The Republicans have been conducting a lengthy search for information regarding the alleged unlawful destruction of records at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Over the past three years, letters sent by Committee Chairman Smith, Congressman Darrell Issa, and Senator David Vitter, characterize the Agency as being intentionally … Continue Reading
March 25, 2015Committee Passes Bipartisan Weather Research Bill
(Washington, DC) - Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a markup of H.R. 1561, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2015. The bill passed out of Committee on a bipartisan voice vote. H.R. 1561 improves weather research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by advancing programs and activities that will make critical investments in the nation’s observational, computing, and modeling capabilities in support of more accurate, timely, … Continue Reading
March 24, 2015Energy Subcommittee Discusses the Value of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Investments at DOE
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Energy Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the Department of Energy’s (DOE) work in energy efficiency and renewable energy. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) conducts a wide range of research to accelerate the development of new clean energy technologies, and also plays a major role in setting efficiency standards for buildings and appliances. The Assistant Secretary for EERE, Dr. David … Continue Reading
March 24, 2015Subcommittee Gets Update on the James Webb Space Telescope
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Space held a hearing to receive an update on the progress of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Ranking Member Donna F. Edwards (D-MD) said in her opening statement, “JWST is the next generation astrophysics observatory following Hubble. More capable and sensitive than Hubble, JWST is optimized to study infrared light from the Universe, which will allow JWST to observe the first galaxies formed in the Universe. … Continue Reading