February 13, 2020
FY21 Presidential Budget Request Breakdown
The U.S. federal appropriations season is upon us once again. On 10 February 2020, President Donald J. Trump released his Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2021. This is the first step in the appropriations negotiation process that ideally concludes before current fiscal year ends on 30 September. While a few vital science programs were funded, overall the president’s proposed budget is a severe disappointment for science and ignores the many …
December 23, 2019
FY2020 Spending Deal Passes with Average Marks for Science
After a delayed start, drawn-out negotiations, and two Continuing Resolutions, the Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations were signed into law Friday, 20 December. Overall, federal science agency funding saw modest boosts. However, the budget fails to provide substantial increases for key agencies and programs like the National Weather Service and the National Science Foundation. The most generous increase came from the United States Geological Survey’s Facilities spending– with a plan to …
December 18, 2019
A Focus on the Future: Educating for the Next 100 Years
Last week, nearly 28,000 scientists convened in San Francisco for AGU’s annual Fall Meeting. This year also marks AGU’s centennial, and it seemed one topic was on the minds of many: what will the next 100 years look like, and how do we prepare the next generation of scientists? During a plenary discussion with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former California Governor Jerry Brown, AGU’s CEO Chris …
December 17, 2019
OSTP Values with Dr. Droegemeier
Current Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, gave the Agency Plenary at AGU’s Fall Meeting on December 12th in San Francisco (video available at AGUGO). Congress created OSTP in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President on all-things science and technology: that makes Droegemeier President Trump’s head science advisor. Droegemeier’s talk at AGU was a chance for members to …
December 6, 2019
Global Science Policy at #AGU19
AGU’s science policy team is excited to host three international science policy initiatives at Fall Meeting this year. The first is a series of International Science Policy meetups. These meetups are a great opportunity to learn and hear from colleagues around the world engaging in science policy. Additionally, AGU’s science policy staff will be available to answer questions and provide resources. Tuesday, 10 December from 11 – 12 pm Moscone …
December 5, 2019
Science Policy Events at Fall Meeting 2019
AGU’s annual Fall Meeting is fast approaching! We are thrilled to be returning to San Francisco and celebrating AGU’s 100th year. Whether you’re curious about how to engage in science policy and want to learn the basics, or want to learn more about the fellowship opportunities AGU offers throughout the year, we have plenty of programs to help engage our members in science policy. Check out our schedule below. Most …
December 4, 2019
Why Climate Action Bills Matter
Early December marks the beginning of the COP25 Climate Summit in Madrid, where Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a public statement that the US will abide by the Paris Climate Accord targets: “The United States is still in,” she said, despite the Trump Administration’s recent withdrawal. Even though the US is caught in mixed messaging at the international level, Americans do overwhelmingly seem to be in support of climate action, especially democrats, according to a recent Pew Research study. Congressional Democrats are making their position known by introducing several bills that acknowledge the need for urgent climate …
December 3, 2019
Legal Education for Scientists Events at Fall Meeting
The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) and AGU want to help scientists understand their legal rights and responsibilities—we believe this knowledge is an essential part of every researcher’s professional development. So we’ve partnered on the “Legal Education for Scientists Program” for eight years, and are offering a range of events at the 2019 AGU Fall Meeting. Among this year’s events are two workshops featuring experts from CSLDF, the …
November 27, 2019
Funding an Energy Transition
As appropriators are still trying to finalize the 2020 budget, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development sat down last week for a hearing about the DOE’s role in addressing climate change. The main thematic questions of the hearing were: What technologies will help move us into the future sustainably, and how can DOE facilitate the energy transition? This lively and lengthy hearing made a strong case for not …
November 20, 2019
Science Funding Remains Frozen
Nearly two months into fiscal year (FY) 2020, the appropriations process to fund the federal government continues. On Tuesday, 19 November, the House passed another continuing resolution (CR), keeping the government funded at FY2019 levels, ahead of the 21 November deadline granted by a recent CR signed into law in September. The Senate is expected to approve the legislation on Thursday, 21 November. The new CR will keep the government funded for another four weeks …
