Biologists Visit Capitol Hill as Part of AIBS Advocacy Event
Biological scientists from across the country were in Washington, DC, on April 15-17, 2024, to participate in the AIBS Communications Boot Camp for Scientists and Congressional Visits Day.
Following a two-day communications and advocacy training program, scientists headed to Capitol Hill where they spent April 17 meeting with their members of Congress. The meetings provided participants with an opportunity to put into practice what they had learned in the training program, while also advocating for increased federal funding for scientific research. Participants talked with their elected officials about the need for Congress to appropriate at least $11.9 billion to the National Science Foundation in FY 2025, and some also discussed the importance of new investments in other science agencies. Overall, 50 meetings took place between scientists and congressional offices.
AIBS member societies, including American Society of Mammalogists, Botanical Society of America, Organization of Biological Field Stations, Society for the Study of Evolution, and North Central State College, sponsored the participation of a number of scientists. Recipients of the 2024 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award--Alex Rich from Yale University and Efraín Rodríguez-Ocasio from Iowa State University--also attended.
Learn more.
New AIBS Report on Biological Sciences in the President's 2025 Budget Request
A new report from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) provides an analysis of the President's fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request for biological sciences research and education.
The report summarizes proposed budget and program changes relevant to the biological sciences. The document analyzes the budget proposals for several federal agencies and programs, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States Geological Survey, Department of Energy Office of Science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
Read the report.
House Appropriations Panel Gets New Leadership as FY 2025 Budget Cycle Kicks Off
Representative Tom Cole (R-OK), an advocate for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has taken over as chair of the House Appropriations Committee, following Chairwoman Kay Granger's (R-TX) decision to step down from the leadership position early. Granger announced last November that she would not be seeking reelection.
Cole, a widely respected conservative voice, will lead one of Congress' most influential committees. A long-time supporter of biomedical research, he oversaw sustained funding increases for NIH during his tenure as the top Republican on the Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will continue to serve as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will continue as chair of the full Appropriations Committee, with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) serving as Ranking Member. Murray had also been serving as interim chair of the Energy and Water Subcommittee--which is responsible for Department of Energy and water spending--since the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Murray has been named the permanent chair of that panel through the end of this Congress.
Congressional work on fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding is getting a delayed start after the current year's spending bills weren't finalized until last month. Committees in both chambers are currently holding hearings on the president's budget proposal for FY 2025, with key agency leaders testifying before relevant panels.
BLM Finalizes Public Lands Rule Boosting Conservation
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized a comprehensive new rule for managing public lands that designates conservation as a formal use of public lands, on equal footing with energy development, grazing, and recreation. The changes will lead to a fundamental shift in how the agency manages 245 million acres of public lands.
"Today's final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come," said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
The Department of Interior has stated that these changes are necessary because of the rapidly increasing impacts of climate change. The finalized rule emphasizes that urgent action is needed to protect federal rangelands from droughts and increased wildfires, otherwise these lands will no longer be able to support grazing, recreation, and energy development in the coming decades.
"The rule does not prioritize conservation above other multiple uses. It also does not preclude other uses where conservation use is occurring," reads an excerpt of the final rule. "Many uses are compatible with different types of conservation use, such as sustainable recreation, grazing, and habitat management. The rule also does not enable conservation use to occur in places where an existing, authorized, and incompatible use is occurring."
Critics argue that the new rule may hinder energy production and mining, while supporters see it as a necessary shift towards prioritizing conservation. Under the new rule, BLM would be required to identify federal rangelands that need restoration work and establish a mechanism to lease the lands for a fixed period of no more than 10 years to allow this work to be done. This would allow NGOs and conservation groups to lease BLM land to conserve or restore it. These leases could also be purchased by energy, mining, or timber companies to offset project impacts as a condition of permit approval.
First proposed by BLM in March 2023, the rule garnered significant public feedback before being finalized. It will formally take effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
House Panel Advances Republican Wildlife Conservation Bill
The House Natural Resources Committee has passed a controversial Republican-led wildlife conservation bill along party lines, over strong objections from Democratic members of the panel.
The "American Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act," (H.R. 7408) sponsored by Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR), has been pitched as an alternative to the long-pending bipartisan "Recovering America's Wildlife Act" (RAWA). While both bills share the goal of protecting wildlife habitat through grants to state conservation agencies, they differ in their approach.
H.R. 7408 would authorize the Interior Department to "allocate not more than" $300 million annually to a new "Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Restoration Subaccount" of an existing account set up by the 1937 Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. The bill would authorize up to $20 million over five years for a separate tribal account. The bipartisan RAWA, on the other hand, would allocate about $1.3 billion annually to states and tribes for wildlife conservation measures.
The GOP bill has faced criticism from Democrats, who believe it falls short in improving wildlife conservation and habitats. Critics of the bill have raised concerns not only about funding but also about provisions they argue could undermine the Endangered Species Act. The proposed legislation includes various adjustments to the law, such as granting states the authority to formulate their own recovery plans for species classified as threatened or under consideration for listing.
The fate of the Republican measure looks uncertain with Democrats pledging strong opposition. The latest Senate version of RAWA (S. 1149), introduced last year by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), currently has nine Republican, six Democratic, and two independent co-sponsors. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) has indicated that she plans to reintroduce RAWA in the House this year.
EPA Finalizes Regulation to Limit 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water
On April 10, the Biden Administration introduced historic federal regulations establishing limits on 'forever chemicals' in drinking water, marking a significant move in safeguarding Americans against substances that are associated with severe health concerns.
The comprehensive new regulation mandates public water systems to lower the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in tap water. This is the first time a new EPA drinking water standard has been issued since the 1990s. PFAS chemicals are found in firefighting foam, carpets, and packaging and have been dubbed 'forever chemicals' since they don't easily break down.
The finalized rule establishes a limit of 4 parts per trillion for two widely studied and toxic PFAS, known as PFOA and PFOS, along with restrictions on 4 other PFAS compounds. While officials anticipate health benefits, the regulation may face legal challenges and financial burdens for water providers, who have five years to comply with the new limits.
White House Seeks Input On Safe and Inclusive STEM Environments
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is inviting input from various stakeholders to inform the efforts of the Interagency Working Group on Safe and Inclusive STEM Environments (IWG-SISE).
This input will aid in the development of policy guidelines for federal research agencies aimed at reducing sex-based and sexual harassment within STEM fields, in accordance with the CHIPS and Science Act. OSTP and IWG-SISE are specifically seeking perspectives from a wide range of organizations representing individuals impacted by harassment in STEM, including students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, researchers, and administrators.
Those interested in providing input can request virtual meetings with OSTP and IWG-SISE by sending an email to STEM@ostp.eop.gov. Due to limited availability, only a select number of meetings will be scheduled for April and May 2024.
AIBS Endorses Letter Supporting CDC AMD Program Funding
AIBS joined the American Society for Microbiology and 26 other scientific organizations in sending a letter to House and Senate appropriators urging robust funding for the Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The letter calls for $175 million for the CDC AMD program in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill. This funding level aligns with the level authorized in the Tracking Pathogens Act, which was enacted as part of a year-end legislative package in 2022.
"As we move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMD program continues to form new partnerships and to innovate so that cutting edge genomic and bioinformatic technologies can be deployed on the front lines of public health throughout the country and across the globe," the groups note. "By bringing precision medicine to public health, the program gives the nation new tools to detect disease more quickly and more accurately, identify outbreaks sooner and protect people from emerging and evolving disease threats, whether seasonal such as influenza or RSV, endemic such as Lyme disease, or epidemic in nature."
Read the letter.
Enter the 14th Annual Faces of Biology Photo Contest
Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for a chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience.
The competition showcases, in a personal way, biological research in its many forms and settings. The images help the public and policymakers better understand the value of biological research and education. The competition is sponsored by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in addition to the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
"Photography is an effective tool to help communicate the process of scientific research," said Scott Glisson, CEO of AIBS. "This contest provides a visual forum for expression, inspiration, and technical skill that can have a positive impact on how the public views research and science."
The theme of the contest is "Faces of Biology." Photographs entered into the competition must depict a person, such as a scientist, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a natural history collection, on a computer, in a classroom, or elsewhere.
The winning photos from the 2023 contest will be featured in the April 2024 issue of BioScience.
Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2024. For more information or to enter the contest, visit our website.
Short Takes
-
Last week, the Senate has passed bipartisan legislation to aid conservation efforts for migratory birds by a voice vote. The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023 (R. 4389), sponsored by Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), would renew the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act for another five years and fund competitive grants in the Western Hemisphere for habitat conservation and research and monitoring projects. The House passed the measure the previous week. It now awaits the President's signature.
-
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a new funding opportunity to jumpstart regional innovation ecosystems with up to $160M of NSF funding over 10 years. The Regional Innovation Engines program (NSF Engines) launched a new round of the competition last week, building upon its inaugural 10 Engine awards made in January 2024. The program supports the development of diverse, regional coalitions to catalyze and foster innovation ecosystems across the U.S. Each NSF Engine focuses on use-inspired research and development that creates new technologies, jobs and economic opportunities for national, societal and geostrategic impact. Informational webinars are scheduled for April 25 and 30, with virtual roadshows taking place in May. Learn more.
-
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is seeking suggestions for experts to participate in a new workshop series that discusses adaptation of existing frameworks for assessing and reducing dual-use potential of biological research to bioeconomy-related research and development efforts. The suggestions will be used by NASEM staff to build a committee of approximately 10 experts as well as to collect information for potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers for any publications resulting from the activity. Suggestions can be submitted until April 27, 2024.
From the Federal Register
The following items appeared in the Federal Register from April 8 to 19, 2024.
Agency for International Development
Commerce
Energy
Environmental Protection Agency
Health and Human Services
Interior
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
