Gordon Urges NRC to Reject Application to Dump Foreign Nuclear Waste In U.S.
(Washington, DC) U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to reject the application of EnergySolutions to import 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) from Italy into the United States for processing and disposal. The NRC published a notice in the Federal Register yesterday which initiated a 30-day public comment period on the application. “To approve this license would run counter to … Continue Reading
February 07, 2008Baird Chairs First of Many Subcommittee Hearings on Strengthening Science Diplomacy
(Washington, DC) - Today, Members of the House Science and Technology Committee's Research and Science Education Subcommittee held a hearing to review the visa process for foreign science and engineering students and scholars. Subcommittee Chairman Brian Baird (D-WA) and subcommittee members explored recommendations for improving the current visa process and examined the difficulties that arise when universities try to recruit top notch students and professors from abroad. "Today's … Continue Reading
February 07, 2008Members Hail Successful Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis
(Washington, DC) This afternoon the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-122) lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida en route to the International Space Station (ISS). Leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology - the Committee with jurisdiction over U.S. civil space and aeronautics activity - offered the following comments on the successful launch and upcoming mission: Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN): "I want to wish the crew of Atlantis a safe journey as … Continue Reading
February 07, 2008Subcommittee Clears Bills That Engage Research and Technology in Addressing Matters of Security, Green Transportation and Fire Safety
(Washington, DC) Today, the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation approved legislation aimed at addressing pressing research and technology needs facing the U.S. Subcommittee Chairman David Wu (D-OR) led the body in passage of the following bills: H.R. 5161, The Green Transportation Infrastructure Research and Technology Transfer Act H.R. 4847, United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2007 … Continue Reading
February 07, 2008Gordon, Miller and Lampson Issue Call to Protect Whistleblower and Question Recent Actions of Public Health Agency
(Washington, DC) House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), and Subcommittee Chairmen Brad Miller (D-NC) and Nick Lampson (D-TX) demanded yesterday that Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and also the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), take steps to protect Dr. Christopher De Rosa, former director of ATSDR’s Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine from what … Continue Reading
February 06, 2008Resolution Commemorating 50th Anniversary of Explorer I Among Three S&T Bills Passed by House
(Washington, DC) - A bipartisan House resolution marking the 50th anniversary of the launch of the United States' Explorer I satellite - the world's first scientific spacecraft - passed the House of Representatives today along with two other Committee on Science and Technology resolutions. On January 31, 1958, the U.S. successfully launched Explorer 1, the first satellite into space. That day marked the beginning of the U.S. space program. Fifty years later, leaders of the U.S. House … Continue Reading
February 04, 2008Committee Asks GAO to Analyze NASA’s Air Safety Survey Data
(Washington, DC) Led today by Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology, Committee leaders asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to analyze massive amounts of data on U.S. air safety that the National Aeronautics and Safety Administration (NASA) made public on New Year's Eve. NASA acquired the data as part of the National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service (NAOMS) pilot survey - collected at taxpayer expense - on the safety of U.S. air … Continue Reading
February 04, 2008Gordon on President’s FY09 Budget: Plan Shortchanges U.S. Competitiveness Efforts
(Washington, DC) U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) offered the following comment on the Administration's FY 2009 budget submitted to Congress today: "Today, the Administration submitted its Fiscal Year 2009 budget request to Congress. While the almost $3.11 trillion budget includes $147 billion for R&D, it proposes an incomplete and short-sighted plan to promote U.S. competitiveness." "Last August, Congress passed and the President signed into … Continue Reading
February 01, 2008Gordon Questions Plan to Import Nuclear Waste Into U.S.
(Washington, DC) House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) today asked the Northwest Interstate Compact for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management to withhold its support for a license application filed by EnergySolutions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to put low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) from Italy in a Utah waste site. "It appears that EnergySolutions’ exploitation of a loophole in our country’s nuclear waste regulatory framework and its … Continue Reading
January 31, 2008Committee Leaders Mark 5th Anniversary of Columbia Tragedy
Washington, DC - Tomorrow (February 1, 2008) marks the 5th anniversary of the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the seven brave astronauts who flew on the STS-107 mission. Leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology today offered the following remembrances: Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) Chairman of the full Committee commented, "When an unexpected tragedy of the magnitude of Columbia occurs, it's up to us as a nation to mourn our loss, assess what went wrong, and work to … Continue Reading
January 30, 2008Explorer I Resolution Introduced to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of the Birth of the U.S. Space Program
Washington, DC - January 31, 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first U.S. satellite - Explorer I - and the dawn of the U.S. space program. Leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology marked that anniversary with the introduction of a U.S. House Resolution late yesterday remembering the landmark day and the remarkable advances the U.S. space program has yielded. Resolution author Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO), Chairman of the House Science and Technology … Continue Reading
January 30, 2008Gordon Comments on FutureGen
(Washington, DC) The Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology Bart Gordon (D-TN) today issued the following statement on news the Administration is planning to pull their support for FutureGen - a project intended to demonstrate next generation coal-fired power production and the centerpiece of the Department of Energy's program on clean coal technology. FutureGen, as portrayed by the Administration, is intended to demonstrate technologies that capture and sequester … Continue Reading
January 28, 2008Chairman Comments on State of the Union Address
(Washington, DC) U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) offered comment on this evening's State of the Union Address delivered by President Bush. Gordon outlined the Committee's priorities for the coming session and also urged the President to work with Congress in a bipartisan fashion to address the challenges facing the nation. Gordon offered the following comment: "The first session of the 110th Congress was one of the most productive and bipartisan … Continue Reading
January 28, 2008Subcommittees Demand Explanation for Attempts to Control Report on Formaldehyde in Trailers Housing Hurricane Victims
Washington, D.C. - The Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee and the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology today demanded answers from Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, about why the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tried to control the outcome of a health guidance report on formaldehyde in trailers used to house victims of Hurricane Katrina.Subcommittee Chairmen Brad Miller and Nick Lampson sent letters to … Continue Reading
January 23, 2008Committee Leaders Comment on NASA’s Astronaut Health Care Survey Report
Washington, DC - This afternoon, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a report on an astronaut and flight surgeon health care survey that it conducted last fall. The report summarizes the anonymous responses of astronauts and flight surgeons to a series of questions on the quality of astronaut healthcare. On September 6, 2007, the Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a hearing aimed at investigating the findings of two NASA reports concerning the … Continue Reading
January 16, 2008Gordon Adds His Voice to Call for Science Focused Presidential Debate
(Washington, DC) U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) today added his support to an effort underway aimed at underscoring the importance of science, education, research and innovation in the 2008 presidential race. Gordon joined a group of Nobel laureates, business leaders, university presidents and other Congressional leaders in support of "Science Debate 2008" (www.sciencedebate2008.com) - an effort underway to urge the candidates for President to … Continue Reading
January 15, 2008Gordon Comments on National Science Board’s Release of Science and Engineering Indicators
(Washington, DC) U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) today commented on the National Science Board's (NSB) release of their 2008 Science and Engineering Indicators. The Indicators are a biannual record of data on the U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise, from elementary and secondary education through industry, technology and the global marketplace. As a result of the America COMPETES Act - landmark science and math education and … Continue Reading
January 14, 2008Science & Technology Committee Website Receives Recognition for Excellence
Chairman Bart Gordon receiving the Golden Mouse Award from the Congressional Management Foundation (Washington, DC) Today the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) recognized the House Committee on Science and Technology for designing and maintaining one of the most impressive Congressional Committee websites on Capitol Hill. The Committee website (https://democrats-science.house.gov/) received the CMF's highest award, the Golden Mouse Award, for … Continue Reading
December 31, 2007Gordon Comments on NASA’s Initial Release of Air Safety Survey Data
(Washington, DC) The Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology today acknowledged NASA for the initial release of data from their study of the nation's air travel system, and urged the agency to not delay in their complete release of the data. Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Members of the Committee have asked NASA for months to make public the National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service (NAOMS) pilot survey data it collected - at taxpayer expense - on the safety … Continue Reading
December 21, 2007Gordon’s Methamphetamine Bill Signed Into Law
(Washington, DC) Legislation designed to clean up methamphetamine (meth) in local communities across the country was signed into law by President Bush today. "While Tennessee has been hit especially hard by meth abuse, the problem certainly isn't limited to any one state. This bill can and will serve to protect innocent families not only from the criminals who make and use this illegal drug, but also from the after effects of that crime," said the bill's author, House Committee on Science … Continue Reading