President Bush Signs Supplemental Appropriations Act
Late last month President Bush signed into law the House's revised version
of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, H.R. 2642. This bill contains
appropriated funding for agencies in the America COMPETES Act (PL 110-69),
and was approved by the Senate June 26 by a vote of 92-6. The House
passed the bill on June 19.
H.R. 2642 includes extra funding for key federal science and research
programs, including: $150 million for the National Institutes of Health
(NIH); $62.5 million for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Science Office;
$62.5 million for the National Science Foundation (NSF); and $62.5 million
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Last-minute negotiations between Congress and the White House over the
final fiscal year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill, which was approved
in December 2007, left funding for these three agencies essentially
flat, with little or no new money to expand important research and education
programs. Some programs were facing drastic cuts, prompting significant
layoffs of scientific and technical personnel at labs and universities
around the country.
House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, D-Tenn.,
offered the following statement on the passage of H.R. 2642: "I
am very pleased that this supplemental appropriations bill includes
$400 million in additional FY08 funding for science programs, including
$125 million to boost funding for critical programs at the National
Science Foundation and Department of Energy Office of Science that were
authorized in the America COMPETES Act. The inclusion of competitiveness
funding in this supplemental bill and the strong funding levels
expected to be included in the FY09 House appropriations bills
should leave no doubt about this Congress' commitment to federal funded
basic research and math and science education."
For additional information, visit http://science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=2243.
ASME has been, and continues to be, strongly supportive of the America
COMPETES Act. ASME President Thomas M. Barlow sent a thank-you letter
to members of Congress applauding their decision to support additional
funding for science, stating, "Although this year's budget falls
well short of the authorized increases outlined in the bipartisan America
COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), ASME views H.R. 2642 as an encouraging
sign that Congress and the administration are prepared to work toward
the sustenance of domestic innovation and technological advancement."
Barlow further stated, "As you know, our nation currently faces
a number of challenges of a historic level that will require a proportional
response to preserve our global competitiveness. Therefore, the sustained,
long-term investment in federal agencies that drive the advancement
of science and technology as well as innovation and job creation must
remain a top priority in the coming fiscal year."
The letter is available for review at
www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements.
More information about ASME's position on the America COMPETES Act can
be found by reviewing PS08-09 and PS08-10 at www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements.
Report: Enhanced Capacity for Science and Technology Policymaking
is Critical to Addressing National Challenges
"Critical Upgrade: Enhanced Capacity for White House Science and
Technology Policymaking," the most recent report from the Woodrow
Wilson Center, concludes that "the science and technology policymaking
capacity of the White House must be enhanced so that the next president
can better address key issues facing the nation, from energy and the
environment, to national security, and the ability of the United States
to compete and collaborate internationally."
Lee H. Hamilton, president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars, said, "The next president's ability to meet
key challenges facing the nation will depend upon a high-quality team
in the White House to evaluate and shape the government's approximately
$142 billion (2008) investments in science and technology (S&T)
as well as the broader S&T underpinnings of complex national and
international issues."
Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, added,
"Innovation will be the single most important factor in determining
America's success through the 21st century. The president's science
advisor should play a pivotal role in setting priorities for funding
frontier research and for fostering a vibrant environment for technology-based
entrepreneurship in the United States."
"Critical Upgrade" offers recommendations designed to ensure
that the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has the capacity
to help define and implement the president's programs. The report's
recommendations focus on lessons learned from the past, as well as suggestions
for the future regarding "best practices" in 10 major areas.
The points include responsibilities and activities of OSTP, relations
with other White House entities, external science advice, coordination
of programs across the federal government, programs of international
scope, and interactions with the private sector and the states.
For additional information, visit
www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.item&news_id=448130.
The 29-page report is available at http://wilsoncenter.org/news/docs/OSTP%20Paper.pdf.
Task Force Releases Statement on FY 2009 NIST Budget Request
The ASME NIST Task Force issued its position statement on the administration's
fiscal year 2009 budget request for the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST). In the statement, the Task Force voices its support
for the proposed increase in laboratory research funding to $535 million,
but states that it is "gravely concerned with the continued proposed
elimination of Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and proposed significant
decrease for Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)."
The administration's budget request for NIST in FY 2009 is $638 million.
If funded as requested, this would result in a decrease of $35 million,
or 5.2 percent, from the FY 2008 omnibus appropriations. The administration
has proposed eliminating funding for the Technology Innovation Program
(TIP), which is the successor of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP),
and has proposed only $4 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership
(MEP).
The ASME NIST Task Force has long supported TIP and MEP as important
catalysts of technological innovation.
The statement concludes, "Although we would like to see all of
NIST's important programs adequately funded, we are not blind to the
fiscal realities faced by Congress this year. Accordingly, we remain
strongly supportive of sufficient funding for the NIST laboratories,
but would like funding for MEP and TIP to reflect the importance of
economic investment in the manufacturing industry as an engine of growth
as outlined in the ACI and the Innovation Agenda."
Last month, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
and Science approved the bill that funds NIST and provided the agency
with $785 million, which restores the proposed cuts to TIP and MEP.
Later in June, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
and Science approved its bill and provided NIST with $813 million, which
is $175 million above the president's budget request.
The position statement is available on the Government Relations Web
site at
www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements.
For further information about the House appropriations bill, visit
http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/MollohanSubMarkup06-12-08.pdf.
Information about the Senate bill will be posted at
http://appropriations.senate.gov/commerce.cfm
in the near future.
Climate Change Has Implications for National Security
Members of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global
Warming and the Intelligence Community Management (ICM) Subcommittee
were briefed on June 25 on a new U.S. national intelligence report that
warns that climate change has serious implications for U.S. national
security.
The report, "National Intelligence Assessment on the National Security
Implications of Global Climate Change to 2030," was undertaken
by the National Intelligence Council (NIC). It outlines how climate
change may affect U.S. national security by causing political instability,
mass movements of refugees, terrorism or conflicts over water, and other
resources in specific countries. The 58-page report's findings represent
a consensus view of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.
According to the report, "Climate-related security impacts could
be significant when they cause a noticeable even if temporary
degradation in one of the elements of national power (geopolitical,
military, economic, or social cohesion) because it indirectly influences
the U.S. homeland, indirectly influences the United States through a
major military ally or a major economic partner, or because the global
impact is so large, that [it] indirectly consumes U.S. resources. The
additional stress on resources and infrastructure will exacerbate internal
state pressures, and generate interstate friction through competition
for resources or disagreement over responses and responsibility for
migration."
A summary of the report is available at
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/teia-ccm062408.php.
Information on the June 25 hearing is available at
http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?
id=0010#main_content.
DOE Issues FOAs for Revised Futuregen Program, Advanced Geothermal
Energy Research
Last month, the DOE issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)
to invest in multiple commercial-scale Integrated Gasification Combined
Cycle (IGCC) or other clean coal power plants with cutting-edge carbon
capture and storage (CCS) technology under its restructured FutureGen
program.
The solicitation seeks multiple cost-shared projects to advance coal-based
power generation technologies that capture and store the greenhouse
gas carbon dioxide (CO2). The department anticipates that
$290 million will be available for funding of selected projects through
FY 2009, and an additional $1.01 billion is expected to be available
in subsequent years, subject to appropriations by Congress.
"The Department is committed to increasing the nation's energy
security and addressing CO2 emissions by ensuring coal, an
abundant domestic resource, can be used to meet our growing energy demand
in an environmentally responsible way," said Under Secretary of
Energy Bud Albright. "This announcement brings us one step closer
toward the installation of carbon sequestration technology on commercial-scale
clean coal power plants."
The 53-page FOA, which provides instructions for submitting applications
and outlines the mission need and background, project description, and
the primary technical goals and performance requirements, can be viewed
at www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/futuregen/
Restructured_FutureGen_Final_FOA__6-24-0.pdf.
The application deadline is Oct. 8, 2008. Selection of projects is anticipated
for the end of calendar year 2008. For additional information, refer
to www.doe.gov/news/6359.htm.
The department also has issued an FOA for up to $90 million over four
years to advance the research, development, and demonstration of next-generation
geothermal energy technology.
"Geothermal energy is a clean, reliable, scalable, renewable energy
source and these geothermal projects will help the U.S. tap domestic
heat sources that were previously out of reach," said Assistant
Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Andy Karsner. "Increasing
the use of traditional hydrothermal and geothermal base load resources
is an important component of the administration's efforts to diversify
our nation's energy sources in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and enhance our energy security."
The FOA addresses two topics:
Component Technologies R&D: Projects will address aspects
of engineered reservoir creation, management, and utilization at high
temperatures up to 300ºC and depths as great as 10,000 meters;
and,
System Demonstrations: The projects under this topic area will
allow testing and validation of stimulation techniques for improving
productivity of wells or increasing inter-well connectivity at existing
geothermal fields. Use of available or experimental technologies from
geothermal, petroleum, or other relevant industries will be considered.
The DOE anticipates making up to 26 awards through this competitive
funding opportunity, which is open to industry and academia. Funding
is subject to annual congressional appropriations. A minimum of 20 percent
private sector cost share is required for R&D projects. Recipient
cost share requirements for demonstration projects will be up to 50
percent, and vary by both the phase of the award and the activities
within a particular phase. Applications for this funding opportunity
are due on or before Aug. 12, 2008.
More information about this FOA can be found on the Geothermal Technologies
Program Web site, www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal.
Bill to Create National Innovation Council Introduced in Senate
Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., have introduced
a bill that would create a single organization to consolidate federal
innovation investments. S.3078, the "National Innovation and Job
Creation Act of 2008," would establish a National Innovation Council
within the Executive Office of the President, as well as several new
grant programs to support state-directed, technology-based economic
development initiatives.
If the legislation is enacted, the following programs would be transferred
to the newly established National Innovation Council:
From the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST):
the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program, the Technology
Innovation Program, and the Office of Technology Partnerships.
From the National Science Foundation (NSF): Partnerships for
Innovation, the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center Program,
and the Engineering Research Center Program.
From the Department of Labor: the Workforce Innovation in Regional
Economic Development Program.
S.3078 would also administer five new grant programs, including:
Competitive Leadership for the United States Through Its Economic
Regions (CLUSTERS) Program, a $350 million program to make matching
grants to states or entities to support the planning and operation of
cluster programs and cluster initiatives. Each state would receive at
least $1 million in start-up funds and at least one annual operating
grant of $1 million per year for five years.
State Innovation-Based Economic Development Grants providing
each state with at least a one-time $250,000 feasibility study grant
and a one-year $2 million start-up grant.
Technology Diffusion Grants for MEP centers in each state at
levels similar to the State Innovation-Based Economic Development Grants.
National Sector Research Grants, competitive matching grants
of unspecified amounts to support industry-led consortia that commit
to developing three-to-ten-year technology roadmaps for the consortia.
Productivity Enhancement Research Grants for academic institutions
and university-industry joint ventures to support early-stage research
into methods to increase productivity and innovation.
S.3078 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science
and Transportation. No action has yet been scheduled. To read the legislation
as introduced, go to http://thomas.loc.gov
and search by bill number.
NAE Selects Participants for 2008 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering
Symposium
Eighty-two of the United States' brightest young engineers have been
selected to take part in the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE)
14th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium.
The two-day event will bring together engineers ages 30 to 45 who are
performing exceptional engineering research and technical work in a
variety of disciplines. The participants - from industry, academia,
and government - were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations
and chosen from more than 230 applicants.
"America's competitiveness will largely depend upon the next generation
of innovators," said NAE President Charles M. Vest. "The U.S.
Frontiers of Engineering program brings some of the country's rising-star
engineers, from a diverse range of disciplines, together for an exchange
of ideas that will surely help contribute to keeping us at the forefront
of technological advancement and may even spark a breakthrough that
changes the way we live."
The symposium, to be hosted Sept. 18-20 by Sandia National Laboratories
at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, will examine emerging
nanoelectric devices, cognitive engineering, drug delivery systems,
and understanding and countering the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. Alton D. Romig Jr., senior vice president and deputy director
for Integrated Technologies and Systems, Sandia National Laboratories,
will be the featured speaker.
Sponsors for the 2008 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering are the Air Force
Office of Scientific Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, Corning
Inc., Cummins Inc., the Grainger Foundation, Intel Corp., Microsoft
Research, Sandia National Laboratories, and many individual donors.
For more information, including a list of participants, sponsors, and
speakers, go to www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=06172008.
The meeting program and more information about the Frontiers of Engineering
itself is available at www.nae.edu/frontiers.
Contact ASME Government Relations for more information:
Kathryn Holmes, director, ASME Government Relations: (202) 785-7390;
e-mail holmesk@asme.org.
Melissa Carl, government relations representative: (202) 785-7380; e-mail
carlm@asme.org.
Anthony Quinn, government relations representative: (202) 785-7392;
e-mail quinna@asme.org.
Robert Rains, government relations associate: (202) 785-7483; e-mail
rainsr@asme.org.
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