House Panel Advances FY 2025 Agriculture Spending Bill
Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies advanced its annual spending bill for fiscal year (FY) 2025, along party lines and without amendments.
Subcommittee Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) emphasized that the $25.9 billion measure would rein in "the Biden Administration's wasteful, out-of-control spending" while maintaining core programs across the Department of Agriculture. "This legislation supports critical [agricultural] research and plant and animal health programs, invests in rural communities, expands access to broadband, provides nutrition assistance to those in need, and ensures that American consumers have a safe food and drug supply," he noted.
The bill proposes a 1.35 percent cut in discretionary spending for agriculture programs, in addition to the cuts enacted in FY 2024, and has drawn strong rebuke from Democrats for unrealistic reductions. Ranking Member Sanford Bishop (D-GA) also criticized the proposed elimination of funds for urban agriculture and for programs for disadvantaged farmers.
The measure would terminate the Climate Hubs program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and reduce certain agricultural research. The Agricultural Research Service, USDA's intramural research agency, would receive $1.8 billion, a roughly one percent cut compared to FY 2024. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which partners with academic institutions to conduct extramural research, education, and extension activities, would receive nearly flat funding of $1.69 billion. The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is also slated to receive level funding. The Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is home to many conservation and climate-oriented programs, would receive a roughly $12 million cut to a total of $903 million.
The agriculture spending bill will now be considered by the full appropriations committee. Six other appropriations bills have advanced in the House: five of them, including the Defense spending bill, have been approved by the full appropriations committee, while the bill for Military Construction-Veterans Affairs has been passed by the full chamber. The spending bills for Energy-Water, Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior-Environment, and Labor-Health and Human Services have yet to be marked up by their respective subcommittees.
House Science Committee Considers NOAA Budget Request
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing on the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Subcommittee Chair Max Miller (R-OH) framed the agency's requested $225 million increase (relative to FY 2024) as ill-timed, given the economic struggles of many Americans and that NOAA has billions in additional funding from the federal infrastructure law, Inflation Reduction Act, and disaster supplemental. "I'm not placing the blame on NOAA, nor am I advocating for drastic cuts at the agency-too many hard-working Americans rely on the data they provide on a daily basis. But an honest conversation is needed about funding priorities."
Chair Miller also expressed concerns about the proposed cuts to the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research because of the impacts to weather forecasting.
Other committee members also pushed back against cuts proposed in the agency's requested budget. Ranking Member Deborah Ross (D-NC) said cuts to "critical programs" within the National Ocean Service and Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research would hurt innovative research, educational outreach, and ecosystem protection. "Often NOAA's success manifests as the prevention of negative consequences from natural hazards and we thank you for that."
Several committee members raised concerns about funding for ocean observation. Under the President's budget request, base funding for this activity is slated to substantially decrease and be partially replaced by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. The change in funding source would have implications, including removing some observation buoys and a glider from service. NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said that the changes were a consequence of fiscal limits and the agency's commitments to its satellites. He stated that ocean observation data management and cyberinfrastructure capacity would be prioritized within the reduced program.
Another topic of concern for the committee was the $1 billion backlog of facility maintenance requests. NOAA will be rolling out an infrastructure strategic plan that will be the basis for making decisions about prioritizing maintenance needs.
Other topics raised during the hearing included scientific integrity, right whale conservation and vessel speed reduction, and weather and natural hazard prediction.
Senators Focus on ESA in Hearing on USFWS Budget
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works delved into the budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2025 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) during a recent hearing.
The main topic raised by Senators was implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), especially as it relates to permitting. Under federal law, federal activities that may have an impact on a listed species must be reviewed by the USFWS or by the National Marine Fisheries Service before it can proceed.
Chair Tom Carper (D-DE) pointed out that the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law both increased the need for consultations under the ESA but neither law provided additional funding for USFWS' permitting activities to support the increased work load.
The President's FY 2025 budget request provides the needed resources and would reverse a long-time trend of under-funding, according to the testimony of Martha Williams, Director of USFWS. "Between 2003 and 2023, our environmental review staff decreased by 20 percent, while the number of species listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA has risen by 39 percent. This degradation of capacity has made it increasingly difficult to achieve our mission and meet the needs of federal agencies and applicants in a timely manner."
Republican members of the committee criticized the wait times for ESA consultations and questioned why the additional $250 million appropriated in the Inflation Reduction Act was not sufficient to address the problem. Director Williams told the committee that although the agency received additional money from these laws, the funds could not be used to hire permanent staff to work on permitting. In spite of this constraint, the agency has been diligent about "weeding out" projects that don't need more involved consultations in order to streamline the process. USFWS has completed more than 11,000 informal ESA consultations and only subjected about 1,000 projects to formal reviews.
Farm Bill Proposal by Senate Republicans
A new proposal for the farm bill released by a top Senate Republican previews the legislative fight over agriculture policy that is likely to take place in the next few months.
Senator John Boozman (R-AK), who is the top ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said that his proposal aims to demonstrate "shared common ground with our Democrat counterparts on several key priorities and offers a path forward in places where we differ."
Among the anticipated policy debates are overall funding levels and where the money should come from. The Senate Republican proposal would transfer billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act.
The current farm bill expires on September 30, 2024. Although much of the farm bill focuses on agriculture production, it also contains important pieces of agricultural research and education funding and policy.
Boozman's proposal doesn't include specific details, but a summary document says that it would double funding for agricultural research. Like the bill moving in the House of Representatives, it includes $1 billion for research facilities at land-grant universities and continues a scholarship program for land-grant college students.
In May, the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee released a framework for the farm bill that reflects the majority's priorities. The House Agriculture Committee already passed a version of the legislation.
NSF BIO Provides Updated Guidance on Data Management and Sharing Plans
The Biological Sciences (BIO) Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has updated its guidance for the Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP), a supplemental document required for all NSF proposal submissions.
According to NSF, the DMSP should "describe how an award will follow NSF policy on managing, disseminating, and sharing research results and can be no longer than two pages." NSF provides general guidance on preparing DMSPs but advises that PIs submitting proposals to BIO should also consult the BIO-specific guidance.
Specifically, the BIO guidance states that DMSPs should:
- Be consistent with the FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) guiding principles.
- Describe provisions for protecting sensitive personal data, including personal health and human genomic data.
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Consider the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance.
- Define roles and responsibilities for key personnel managing data.
- Include the use of recognized, accessible, community-accepted repositories for data storage, avoiding personal storage and lab websites.
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Include details on permanently accessioning specimens and associated data for projects involving specimen collection (see the next news item for community guidance on this aspect).
- Include data management and sharing costs in the proposal's budget and budget justification.
Additionally, the BIO guidance provides information on post-award data management and notes that the implementation of DMSPs in prior awards will be considered in future NSF proposal evaluations.
New BioScience Publication Provides Guidance on Specimen Management Plans
The Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN), in collaboration with the U.S. Culture Collection Network, has published a Special Report in BioScience providing guidance on implementing a specimen management plan requirement for research proposals that involve collecting or generating specimens.
This requirement, which was first proposed in the National Academies report on biological collections and then supported by the CHIPS and Science Act, is now in place for certain National Science Foundation (NSF) solicitations. The recently updated guidance on Data Management and Sharing Plans (DMSPs) from the Biological Sciences Directorate at NSF states that for projects involving collection of specimens, the DMSPs must include a description how specimens and the associated data will be permanently accessioned.
The article from BCoN provides:
- Examples of current sample management guidance at federal agencies
- Value-added benefits of a Specimen Management Plan
- Recommendations for implementation and evaluation of Specimen Management Plans
- Suggested elements of a Specimen Management Plan
Read the article.
Administration Invests $60 million to Build a Climate-Ready Workforce
On June 11, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced $60 million in funding for building a climate-ready workforce in coastal and Great Lakes states, Tribes, and Territories. This initiative is part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act and is a component of NOAA's Climate-Ready Coasts and Communities Initiative to help communities "prepare, adapt and build resilience to weather and climate events".
According to NOAA, funds from the Climate-Ready Workforce initiative will allow the National Sea Grant College Program, Climate Program Office, and Office for Coastal Management to fund partnerships that will develop and implement job training programs that are more accessible.
The goal of the initiative is to build climate resilient communities around the country by creating a well-trained workforce recruited from the disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change.
The initiative announced support for nine programs around the nation, chosen through a competitive process. This includes programs to expand the Tribal and Indigenous workforce for climate resilience in Alaska, train a climate-ready workforce to manage climate change impacts on water resources in Ohio coastal communities, and empower a resilient workforce for American Samoa, among others.
"Our goal of building climate resilience across the nation depends upon creating a trained, well-paid and supported climate-ready workforce," said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. "Each of these projects...is tailored to tackle the most pressing climate needs of their communities and will focus on recruiting people for training and jobs from disadvantaged communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts."
AIBS Urges Support for Agricultural Research Funding in Final Farm Bill Agreement
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has joined 60 scientific societies, ag-tech startups, environmental nonprofits, public universities, and research organizations in sending a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, prompting them to make robust investments in public agricultural research in the next farm bill.
"The need for significant increases in investment in public agricultural research has never been greater," the letter argues. "Public investment in U.S. agricultural R&D has declined by one-third over the last two decades. As the U.S. continues to underinvest in public agricultural research, spending in China, the European Union, and Brazil has continued to rise."
The letter commends the proposed investments for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), and the Sustainable Research and Education (SARE) program included in both the Senate and House proposals. It goes on to support the Senate's proposed investments in USDA Climate Hubs and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) and urge their inclusion in the final farm bill agreement.
AIBS Signs Letter in Support of Increased Staffing at National Agroforestry Center
AIBS has joined a stakeholder letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore urging him to fill long-standing vacant staff positions at the National Agroforestry Center (NAC) in Lincoln, Nebraska to ensure that it can properly carry out its mission to accelerate the adoption of agroforestry.
"NAC plays a cornerstone role in advancing agroforestry by leading, coordinating, and conducting scientific research, and then leverages this research to deliver science-based outreach, education, and technical assistance to natural resource professionals," the groups argued. "However, NAC has faced a disproportionate and consistent lack of staffing, with critical roles remaining vacant for years. NAC currently has only seven full-time employees -- compared to 13 in 1990 -- with four critical positions currently vacant: Technology Transfer Lead Agroforester, Information Assistance, Biological Science Technician, and Secretary. With growing interest in agroforestry across the country, it is essential to fill each of these integral positions and consider hiring additional staff to support the execution of NAC's daily operations and realizing its mission."
Register Now: 2024 Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits
The American Institute of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2024 Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.
Now in its 15th year, this national initiative is an opportunity for biologists across the country to meet with their federal or state elected officials to showcase the people, facilities, and equipment that are required to support and conduct scientific research. This initiative helps to put a face on science and to remind lawmakers that science is happening in their district and state.
The Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event enables scientists, graduate students, representatives of research facilities, and people affiliated with scientific collections to meet with their federal or state elected officials without traveling to Washington, DC. Participating scientists can meet with their elected officials at the local district office or may invite them to visit their research facility.
"I am grateful for the experience, which has enriched my professional development. I am particularly pleased to think that we started a conversation with Rep. Joyce Beatty's office that will continue in the future. I encourage everyone to reach out beyond their scientific community, which includes explaining your science to your district offices."
- Coralie Farinas, Graduate Student, Ohio State University
AIBS will schedule participants' meetings with lawmakers and will prepare participants through online training and one-on-one support. Meetings will take place mid-July through October, depending on the participant's schedule and their lawmaker's availability. Read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
This event is made possible by the American Institute of Biological Sciences, with the support of event sponsors American Society of Primatologists, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Botanical Society of America, Florida International University Institute of Environment, Natural Science Collections Alliance, Organization of Biological Field Stations, Society for Preservation of Natural History Collections, and Society for the Study of Evolution.
Registration for participation is free, but required and closes on July 15, 2024. To learn more and register, visit io.aibs.org/cdv.
Increase Your Career Opportunities: Writing for Impact and Influence Course
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is once again offering its popular professional development program to help scientists and students hone their written communication skills to increase the power of their message.
Writing for Impact and Influence provides practical instruction and hands-on exercises that will improve the participant's general writing proficiency. The program will provide participants with the skills and tools needed to compose scientific press releases, blog posts, memoranda, and more, with a focus on the reader experience and the appropriate use of modern writing tools, such as ChatGPT.
Each product-oriented session will have an assignment (deadlines are flexible), with feedback from the instructor. The course is interactive, and participants are encouraged to ask questions and exchange ideas with the instructor and other participants. Each session is also recorded and shared with all participants to accommodate scheduling conflicts.
Who Should Take the Course?
- Individuals interested in furthering their professional development by augmenting their writing skills.
- Graduate students and early-career professionals interested in increasing their marketability to employers.
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Individuals interested in more effectively informing and influencing segments of the public, supervisors, policymakers, reporters, organizational leaders, and others.
The course consists of six weekly 90-minute online modules conducted live and subsequently archived online for participant review. The course will begin on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, with subsequent course sessions held weekly on Wednesdays, through August 14. Individuals who actively participate in and complete the full course will receive a certificate recognizing that they have completed a nine-hour professional development course on business writing for scientists.
Register now.
Short Takes
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Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) is a collaborative initiative from the NSF inspired by the Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. Stakeholders from federal agencies, industry, and non-profits have identified a group of subtheme challenges that span the five Bioeconomy Themes of climate change, food and agriculture, supply chain resilience, human health, and cross-cutting advances. The research community is now invited to provide input on the next steps of CASA-Bio. Six virtual, interactive Advancement Workshops will focus on specific research and development challenges and opportunities for the bioeconomy, bringing together experts from academia, industry, and government. Each workshop will take place over two days in July or August. Apply here to participate.
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Join NSF on Tuesday, June 18, 3:00-4:00 PM ET for the Division of Biological Infrastructure's (DBI) Virtual Office Hour. Program Directors will present on the Research Resources Programs within DBI and share diverse funding opportunities supported by the Research Resources Cluster. The Research Resources Cluster provides cross-cutting infrastructure to support and enable research across the biological sciences, including physical, computational, and methodological infrastructure. Register here.
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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 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). Photographs entered into the competition must depict a person, such as a scientist, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time on September 30, 2024. Learn more.
From the Federal Register
The following items appeared in the Federal Register from June 3 to 14, 2024.
Commerce
Environmental Protection Agency
National Science Foundation
Office of Science and Technology Policy