Gordon Begins Effort to Integrate U.S. Healthcare/Patient Information Technologies
(Washington, DC) U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) has introduced legislation authorizing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish guidelines and mechanisms to promote the integration of the healthcare information enterprise in the United States.“The U.S. boasts the finest healthcare system in the world, yet doctors and patients still don’t have access to comprehensive health information. Healthcare is the fastest growing … Continue Reading
May 21, 2007House Advances Major U.S. Competitiveness, Science/Math Education Package
(Washington, DC) Today, the U.S. House of Representatives followed through on a commitment to insure U.S. students, teachers, businesses and workers are prepared to continue leading the world in innovation, research and technology - well into the future. "I can't repeat it often enough - providing high quality jobs for hard working Americans must be our first priority. And in order to accomplish that, we must be proactive," said House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon … Continue Reading
May 18, 2007Miller Calls on ExxonMobil to Reveal Its Continued Funding of Phony Science
(Washington, DC) The Chairman of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Technology today urged a full accounting of ExxonMobil's financial support of global climate skeptics. After repeated assurances from ExxonMobil, a new report from Greenpeace USA's Research Department indicates the oil company continues to fund 41 think tanks and front groups by funneling $2.1 million in grants in 2006 to help them orchestrate denial of global warming … Continue Reading
May 17, 2007Subcommittee Focuses on Ensuring the Health and Vitality of NASA’s Current and Future Workforce
(Washington, DC) The House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics today examined a range of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) workforce issues identified by the recently released reports of two independent review panels. The Subcommittee's work is aimed at ensuring the health and vitality of the NASA workforce in the 21st century. "Now it's obvious that NASA's workforce is critical to the success of NASA's missions," said Subcommittee … Continue Reading
May 17, 2007Lampson Leads Subcommittee Look at Renewable Energy Legislation
(Washington, DC) - Harnessing the power of geothermal and ocean energy was the topic of discussion during a hearing of the Science & Technology Committee's Energy and Environment Subcommittee. Chairman Nick Lampson (D-TX) led discussion on two pieces of legislation before the Committee that address research development, demonstration, and commercial application (RDD&CA) of technologies to tap the two renewable energy resources: H.R. 2304, the Advanced Geothermal Energy Research and … Continue Reading
May 16, 2007Miller and Lampson Challenge Proposal to End Funding for Savannah River Ecology Lab
(Washington, DC) The Investigations and Oversight (I&O) Subcommittee and the Energy and Environment (E&E) Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Technology today called on Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to continue funding for the Savannah River Ecology Lab. The mission of the lab is to study effects of the Savannah River Nuclear Weapons facility on the surrounding environment. It has been recognized internationally as a leader in radiation ecology and a training ground … Continue Reading
May 16, 2007Committee Continues Effort to Address Climate Change
(Washington, DC) At the third of a series of hearings aimed at addressing the science, research and findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report, the House Committee on Science and Technology was today the first Congressional forum for the distinguished authors of the recently released Third Working Group Report. That report - released May 4, 2007 in Bangkok - highlights the key findings of the comprehensive appraisal of the current state of scientific … Continue Reading
May 15, 2007Subcommittee Investigates How to Better Prepare Math and Science Educators
(Washington, D.C.) Recognizing that math and science educators play a major role in keeping the U.S. competitive in a 21st century economy, members of the Science and Technology Committee's Research and Science Education Subcommittee today investigated educators' experiences working with federal science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs for K-16 students. During the hearing, Chairman Brian Baird (D-WA) led members in examining if educators are utilizing information provided by … Continue Reading
May 15, 2007Subcommittee Examines Prospects for Advanced Coal Technologies
(Washington, DC) The Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Energy and Environment today heard from energy industry experts on the state of advanced coal technologies and carbon capture and sequestration strategies. The subcommittee examined the matter as part of its continued effort to bolster research and development of technologies aimed at reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases - in particular, carbon dioxide - in an effort to combat the affects of climate change. … Continue Reading
May 11, 2007Lampson Concerned About Survival of Vital Hurricane Tracking Satellite
(Washington, DC) Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Nick Lampson (D-TX) has asked the Administrators of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for answers regarding a research satellite which now has a second job helping hurricane forecasters sharpen their predictions about the paths these massive storms will follow. The QuikSCAT satellite, which tracks wind data at the ocean surface, is a NASA research … Continue Reading
May 11, 2007Miller Releases Committee Report on Purdue Investigation, Requests New Results
(Washington, DC) - Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC) today released a letter to the President of Purdue University regarding the school's internal investigation into allegations of research misconduct by Professor Rusi Taleyarkhan. In its own report into the university's investigation, the Subcommittee found the school failed to properly and fully investigate the incident. "Dr. Taleyarkhan's claim to have achieved fusion on a tabletop in a laboratory, if … Continue Reading
May 10, 2007Subcommittee Advances ARPA-E, H-Prize Legislation
(Washington, DC) The House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment today cleared two bills for consideration by the full Committee. Both pieces of legislation were previously before the Committee in the 109th Congress. The Subcommittee passed H.R. 364, to provide for the establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy; and H.R. 632, the H-Prize Act of 2007. "These two bills represent another step in this Committee's efforts to push the … Continue Reading
May 10, 2007Wu Leads Look into Green Transportation Infrastructure
(Washington, DC) - Members of the Science & Technology Committee’s Technology & Innovation Subcommittee today looked into programs to help alleviate water pollution caused by runoff from developed lands, like streets and parking lots. During the hearing titled “Green Transportation Infrastructure: Challenges to Access and Implementation,” Subcommittee Chairman David Wu (D-OR) led Members in examining what programs already exist in this arena and how they can be implemented more widely. … Continue Reading
May 03, 2007Subcommittee Works to Make Federal Climate Change Research Deliver More Policy-Relevant Information
(Washington, DC) - Local and state governments would have access to valuable information on global climate change under legislation considered today by the Science and Technology Committee's Energy and Environment Subcommittee. Members of the Subcommittee heard from witnesses regarding H.R. 906, the Global Change Research and Data Management Act, during a hearing this afternoon. U.S. Representatives Mark Udall (D-CO) and Bob Inglis (R-SC) introduced the bill earlier this year to revise the … Continue Reading
May 03, 2007House Furthers Innovation Agenda by Reauthorizing Programs at NIST
(Washington, DC) - The U.S. House of Representatives took another key step in implementing the Democratic Innovation Agenda today by overwhelmingly approving legislation to reauthorize the competitiveness and innovation initiatives of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. H.R. 1868, the Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act of 2007, is the first full reauthorization of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 1992. It authorizes $2.5 … Continue Reading
May 03, 2007Subcommittee Investigates How DHS Nearly Destroyed One of Its Vital Homeland Security Labs
(Washington, DC) The Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Technology today convened a hearing on the state of one of the nation's three homeland security laboratories - the Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) in Manhattan. In 2003 the lab was transferred from the Department of Energy to DHS's Science & Technology Directorate. But since then, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken this once valuable national asset and … Continue Reading
May 02, 2007House Passes NSF Reauthorization, Emphasizing Research and Math and Science Education
(Washington, DC) The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to strengthen support for both basic science research and math and science education by approving legislation to reauthorize the National Science Foundation (NSF). H.R. 1867, the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2007, is designed to allow the NSF to foster relationships between academia and industry in order to spawn U.S. competitiveness and also further its traditions of education in science, … Continue Reading
May 02, 2007Subcommittee Examines Key Challenges Confronting NASA’s Space Science Program
(Washington, DC) The U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics today received a sobering assessment of the outlook for NASA's space science programs from a distinguished panel of scientists. The scientists warned that recent and planned budgetary cutbacks are jeopardizing the future wellbeing of the nation's space science enterprise. The hearing also marked the first Congressional testimony of Dr. Alan Stern, the newly installed Associate … Continue Reading
May 01, 2007USGS Says Catalog of Nation's Capacity to "Bottle" Carbon Emissions Greatly Needed
(Washington, DC) In testimony before a House Committee today, a representative from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) heartily endorsed legislation introduced by House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) that would produce a comprehensive inventory of the nation's ability to store carbon dioxide in geologic features and other natural basins. "This bill is a critical step in the process to mitigating carbon emissions and addressing global climate change," said Chairman … Continue Reading
April 26, 2007Gordon Urges Responsible Implementation of DOE Loan Guarantee Program
(Washington, DC) In a letter today to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) posed pointed questions to the Secretary regarding the Departments' efforts to propose regulations that implement the loan guarantee program authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT). Follow this link to read the complete … Continue Reading