ASME President testifies before Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee

"Engineers are a major part of this nation's technology base, a base that is essential for our defense and our economic vitality," stated ASME President Richard E. (Gene) Feigel in testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense last month.

Feigel noted that the administration's fiscal year 2007 budget request for the Defense Science and Technology (S&T) programs is $11 billion, which is $2 billion less than the fiscal year 2006 appropriated amount of $13 billion, representing a steep 16 percent reduction. He urged the Subcommittee to support, at a minimum, $13 billion for Defense Department science and technology is fiscal 2007.

President Feigel noted that the National Academy of Sciences report entitled, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future," evaluated the position of the United States in several critical measures of technology, education, innovation, and high skilled workforce development, and indicated that while the United States maintains a slight lead in research and discovery, it is "deeply concerned that the scientific and technological building blocks critical to our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gaining strength." Proper attention should be given to the vital role that Defense Department science and technology programs play in meeting this challenge.

Feigel's testimony was based on a position statement (No. 06-11) released by the ASME DOD Task Force on the Defense Department fiscal 2007 budget request, which is available for review at www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements.

Anthony R. Quinn covers public policy-related defense issues for ASME. He can be reached at quinna@asme.org.

 

Senate Commerce and House Science Committees advance competitiveness agenda

A number of new legislative proposals in both the House and Senate would strengthen American economic competitiveness and innovation.

On the Senate side, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved S. 2802, the American Competitiveness and Innovation Act, last week by a vote of 21-0. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., introduced the bill and garnered bipartisan sponsorship.

S. 2802 has its origins in last year's Council on Competitiveness' "Innovate America" report and the National Academies' "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report. It seeks to increase investment in government programs that can strengthen American economic leadership.

The bill includes major increases in funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from fiscal years 2007 to 2011. Other measures include ordering the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a one-year study on barriers to innovation and the creation of an ocean and atmospheric research program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

More information on the Commerce committee bill can be found at http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases. Detail&PressRelease_id=248614&Month=5&Year=2006.

On May 11, the House Science Committee also introduced three bills to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness by improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and research. The bills would strengthen and expand existing K-12 and undergraduate education programs at the NSF and the Department of Energy, and would strengthen and expand programs at those two agencies that fund innovative research by new faculty.

The three bills are: The Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act, sponsored by Rep. John H. (Joe) Schwarz, R-Mich.; the Early Career Research Act, sponsored by Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas; and the Research for Competitiveness Act, also sponsored by Rep. McCaul.
Reflecting testimony that the Committee received at a recent series of hearings on education, the Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act particularly emphasizes the importance of bolstering undergraduate STEM education programs, improving overall science literacy, and especially strengthening K-12 STEM education by improving teacher training in those fields.

Also on May 11, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Coalition, of which ASME is a member, sent a letter to House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y, thanking him for his leadership in introducing these bills, and vowed to work closely with the Committee to strengthen this legislation and encourage its success in passing Congress this year.

The letter also urged the Committee to examine all innovation-related legislation, offered this year by members of both sides of the aisle, when considering any augments to this legislation. A copy of this letter can be found at: www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements.

Melissa Murray covers public policy-related education issues for ASME. She can be reached at murraym@asme.org.

 

House passes energy and water appropriations bill

On May 25, the House of Representatives passed the fiscal year 2007 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill by a vote of 404-20. The bill provides $30.02 billion for energy and water programs, including $24.37 billion for the Department of Energy, $4.98 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, and $950.9 million for the Bureau of Reclamation.

The bill also fully funds the President's American Competitiveness Initiative Office of Science request at $4.132 billion, as well as a variety of advanced energy R&D programs.

The President's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) proposal, part of the administration's push to revive the nuclear power industry, proved to be the most controversial part of the debate.

The House voted to fund GNEP at $120 million in fiscal year 2007, after defeating amendments that proposed to cut funding for the bill to $80 million. Wary of the future costs of the program, the House approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, which would prevent the DOE from using money from the Nuclear Waste Trust Fund, which pays for the construction of the Yucca Mountain waste repository.

For more information on the bill, go to http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm? FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&Press
Release_id=618&Month=5&Year=2006.

— Josh Craft
ASME Government Relations

 

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