Science Policy News from AIBS

Congress Passes Spending Package with Cuts to Science

Last week, legislators passed a six-bill spending package with bipartisan support providing significant funding cuts or nearly flat budgets for most science agencies in fiscal year (FY) 2024.

The "minibus," which was passed more than 5 months into FY 2024, included the Interior-Environment, Energy-Water, Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development spending bills. Science related highlights from the $459 billion package include:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) received a notable funding cut of 8.2 percent relative to its total budget of $9.9 billion in FY 2023. In total, lawmakers provided $9.06 billion for the science agency, of which $7.2 billion (-8.3 percent) was allocated for its Research and Related Activities account. The NSF allocation falls $2.3 billion short of President Biden's request and $6.6 billion below the CHIPS and Science Act authorization for FY 2024.
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science was among the few agencies that received a slightly increased budget in FY 2024, although the boost does not allow DOE to keep up with inflation. The office will receive $8.24 billion in total, a small increase of 1.7 percent over FY 2023. Much of that increase will go to Basic Energy Sciences, which received a 3.6 percent bump. The Biological and Environmental Research account will receive $900 million, resulting in a 1 percent cut. Budget for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which supports high risk high reward research, will shrink by 2 percent.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was allocated $6.3 billion, a small increase of nearly 2 percent over FY 2023. However, the agency's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research saw its funding drop from $687 million in FY 2023 to $656 million.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration received a 2 percent budget cut overall, with its Science account shrinking by 6 percent to $7.3 billion.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology will see its overall budget slashed by 10 percent to $1.46 billion, while funding for its Science and Technical Research and Services account will increase from $953 million in FY 2023 to $1.080 billion in FY 2024.
The Environment Protection Agency's budget will shrink by roughly $1 billion dollars (or 10 percent) to $9.2 billion, with its Science and Technology account receiving a 5.5 percent cut to $758 million.
The U.S. Geological Survey received a nearly 3 percent reduction in its budget. Overall, the agency will receive $1.45 billion, of which $300 million (-2.5 percent) will be directed to its Ecosystems Mission Area.
Other Interior agencies will also see their budgets shrink. The National Park Service received $3.3 billion (-4.3 percent), the Bureau of Land Management was funded at $1.4 billion (-5.4 percent), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received $1.7 billion (-3 percent).
Overall research funding at the U.S. Department of Agriculture will remain flat at $3.5 billion. The Agriculture Research Service will receive a small increase of 1.4 percent to $1.84 billion, while the National Institute of Food and Agriculture will get a 1.3 percent cut to $1.7 billion. The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative will be funded at $445 million, roughly $10 million below the FY 2023 enacted level.
The Smithsonian Institution will receive $1.1 billion, nearly 5 percent below FY 2023. The salaries account for the National Museum of Natural History will receive level funding of $55.2 million.

The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) - an alliance of over 140 professional organizations, scientific societies, universities, and businesses that advocate for NSF - expressed disappointment over the FY 2024 funding for NSF and called on Congress to allocate more resources to the Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill in future appropriations cycles to allow the agency's budget to grow. CNSF, of which AIBS is a member, also urged lawmakers to include NSF funding in any supplemental packages focused on defense and national security.

Lawmakers are now racing to finish and pass the remaining six appropriations bills that fund the rest of the government, including the National Institutes of Health, by the March 22 deadline. The White House plans to release the President's budget request for FY 2025 today.

White House Provides Guidance on Ecosystem Services

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued new guidance on ecosystem services, requiring federal agencies to thoroughly assess the impact of proposed projects, policies, and regulations on human benefits derived from natural environments, such as forests, wetlands, and rivers.

The document entitled, "Guidance for Assessing Changes in Environmental and Ecosystem Services in Benefit-Cost Analysis," defines ecosystem services broadly to encompass all contributions to human welfare from the environment or ecosystems. The landmark guidance outlines best practices for incorporating ecosystem services into benefit-cost analyses, with the aim of helping agencies comprehend tradeoffs and avoid giving disproportionate weight to certain services.

In addition to setting standards for considering costs and benefits associated with ecosystem services, the guidance provides federal officials with the latest research on how regulations on projects, from infrastructure to energy, can enhance or diminish ecosystem services. The aim is to promote informed decision-making by considering the broader impacts on the environment and people, such as agriculture productivity and drinking water availability.

Senate Confirms Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology

The Senate has confirmed Dr. Aprille Joy Ericsson as the inaugural Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology. With three decades of experience at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Ericsson most recently served as the New Business Lead at the Goddard Space Flight Center. President Biden nominated her for the position in September 2023.

Ericsson's responsibilities will include overseeing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and shaping policies affecting defense STEM workforce, labs, and test infrastructure, with a focus on 4 of the 14 technology areas considered critical by DOD, namely quantum science, advanced materials, biotechnology, and next-generation wireless networks.

This appointment is part of a Department of Defense (DOD) reorganization, replacing three deputy chief technology officer roles with equivalent assistant secretary positions that require Senate confirmation. The nominees for the other two assistant secretary positions are yet to be announced.

EPA Requests Nominations for Science Advisory Panels

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently inviting nominations of scientific experts to be considered for appointment to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). The CASAC is a Federal Advisory Committee that provides independent advice to the EPA Administrator on the technical bases for EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

The CASAC is composed of seven members, with at least one member of the National Academy of Sciences, one physician, and one person representing state air pollution control agencies. The agency seeks nominations of experts with expertise in air quality, biostatistics, ecology, environmental engineering, epidemiology, exposure assessment, medicine, risk assessment, and toxicology. Members serve for a two to three-year term. At least three vacancies will open up this fall as current incumbents rotate off. Nominations for the CASAC will be accepted until April 3, 2024. Appointments will be made by the EPA Administrator after the nominees are vetted by EPA's Science Advisory Board Staff Office.

EPA is also inviting nominations of scientific experts for appointment to its Science Advisory Board (SAB). SAB provides independent scientific and technical peer review, consultation, advice, and recommendations to the Administrator on the scientific bases for EPA's actions and programs.

Nominations are sought for individuals with expertise or extensive experience in a range of disciplines, including climate science, citizen science, community environmental health, ecological sciences and ecological assessment, ecosystem services, epidemiology, forestry, health sciences, hydrology, medicine, microbiology, among others. Deadline to submit nominations is April 8, 2024.

USGS Seeks Experts for Science Quality and Integrity Panel

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is establishing and seeking nominations for the Advisory Committee for Science Quality and Integrity. The committee will advise the Secretary of the Interior and the USGS Director on matters related to the responsibilities of the USGS Office of Science Quality and Integrity (OSQI), including OSQI's functional areas such as USGS Fundamental Science Practices, Office of Tribal Relations, Youth and Education in Science, interactions with other federal science agencies, science quality oversight mechanisms for USGS laboratories, and standards of science quality and integrity throughout the USGS.

Nominations can be submitted until April 11, 2024. Non-nomination comments regarding the establishment of this committee may also be provided. Comments are required to be submitted by March 12, 2024. Comments and nominations can be submitted via email to Joanne C. Taylor (jctaylor@usgs.gov). Learn more.

New White Paper Envisions a Natural History Collections Action Center

In 2020, an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released its report, Biological Collections: Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century. Recommendation 8-1 of the report called for the establishment of a national Action Center for Biological Collections, which was codified into law by the U.S. Congress as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. In 2023, a series of webinars and national workshops brought together around 300 biological collections curators, collections managers, museum leaders, research and early career professionals, artificial intelligence (AI) experts, and related stakeholders to envision the features and functions of such an action center. The series was co-sponsored by iDigBio, American Institute of Biological Sciences, NSC Alliance, Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, National Museum of Natural History, New York Botanical Garden, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the Field Museum.

Recommendations from these workshops are now available in a newly released white paper, Envisioning a Natural History Collections Action Center. The recommendations underscore and strengthen the essential role that biological samples and repositories play in medical science, human health, food security, pathogen-borne disease, biosecurity, a strong bioeconomy, mitigating deleterious effects of climate change, and conserving ecological services for human use and subsistence.

Workshop organizers are now inviting individuals to register their support for the findings presented in the white paper. Although this is a U.S. report, collections professionals from around the world are invited to show their support. The results of this survey as well as the white paper will be shared with the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Deadline Approaching: Apply for the IDEA²Public Policy Fellowship

The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) are jointly offering a paid Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, Accepting, and Accessible (IDEA²) Public Policy Fellowship in the summer of 2024 for current and recent graduate students in the life sciences or a closely related field.

This unique training opportunity provides young scientists with valuable first-hand experience in science policy. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work on a range of science policy projects that could include planning a Capitol Hill science policy briefing, preparing science policy documents, conducting research on science and science education policy initiatives, and attending Congressional and executive branch meetings. The Fellow will work closely with AIBS and SURA policy staff to gain practical experience with science policy and advocacy efforts that inform federal decision-making.

Applicant must be a current graduate (M.S. or Ph.D.) student or within two years of completing a graduate degree in the life sciences or a closely related field, who has a strong interest in science policy. The Fellow will have the option to choose between a 10-week remote or a month-long in-person engagement in the summer of 2024. The Fellow will receive a minimum stipend of $3,000, contingent on active participation. Travel expenses will also be covered.

Applications are due no later than 05:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, March 15, 2024. Learn more about the opportunity and how to apply: https://io.aibs.org/idea2fellow

Short Takes

The National Science Foundation will hold a webinar on important updates to its Proposal and Award Policies and Procedure Guide (PAPPG), which will apply to all proposals submitted or due on or after May 20, 2024. Register here to attend NSF Policy Outreach Webinar on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, from 2:00 - 3:00 pm EST. Prospective proposers can also read a summary of the changes.
The Department of the Interior, on behalf of the interdepartmental National Invasive Species Council (NISC), is requesting nominations for qualified experts to serve on the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC). The ISAC is charged with providing information and advice to the NISC on invasive-species related issues. ISAC members include representatives of state, territorial, tribal, and local governments, as well as academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Nominations must be submitted by April 29, 2024.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has published an inventory of federal science agency policies, procedures, and resources regarding preventing and responding to sex-based and sexual harassment involving extramural research awardees. The inventory was created by the Interagency Working Group on Safe and Inclusive STEM Environments, which was established by the OSTP in response to the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to coordinate agency efforts to combat harassment in research. The inventory highlights varying policies and approaches across agencies, revealing that not all have explicit policies covering extramural grant recipients, despite addressing internal staff. The CHIPS and Science Act also requires that uniform anti-harassment guidelines for research agencies be published within six months of completing the inventory.
Dr. Kaye Husbands Fealing, a science policy expert and current dean of Georgia Tech's College of Liberal Arts, has been chosen by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences. Husbands Fealing has extensive experience at NSF, including roles as the inaugural program director for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy program and chair of the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering. She holds a doctorate in economics from Harvard University, and a bachelor's in mathematics and economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Her appointment begins April 22.

From the Federal Register

The following items appeared in the Federal Register from February 26 to March 8, 2024.

Commerce

Energy

Environmental Protection Agency

Health and Human Services

Interior

National Science Foundation

Advisory Committee for Geosciences; Notice of Meeting