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AAES FAST FACTS
July 12, 2002
July 12, 2002
July 12, 2002
Allison Salyer, editor
asalyer@aaes.org
WASHINGTON UPDATE
The House of Representatives approved legislation this morning that will enable the government to respond more quickly to building failures and to overcome the problems that plagued the investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center. H.R. 4687, the ìNational Construction Safety Team Act of 2002,' passed the House by a vote of 338 to 23. Additional information may be found at www.house.gov/science
This week, House committees began revising the president's plan for a new Department of Homeland Security, choosing to leave some agencies out of the new department if they have significant functions outside of the homeland security arena. Among the changes suggested, the House Judiciary Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee want to keep nearly all of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) out of the new department, fearing its natural disaster relief duties would be neglected. The House Science Committee adopted an amendment that would add an Undersecretary for Science and Technology to the new department, in order to deal with the highly technical nature of the new department. Additional information may be found at www.rollcall.com
Researchers in New York have created infectious polio viruses from ordinary, inert chemicals they obtained from a scientific mail-order house, marking the first time a functional virus has been made from scratch and raising a host of new scientific and ethical concerns. The laboratory-synthesized viruses are virtually identical to the naturally occurring viruses that cause polio. The new viruses proliferated in test tubes and caused polio when injected into mice. During this time of increased concern over chemical and biological terrorism, the publication of this research has raised many questions. Additional information may be found at www.washingtonpost.com
President Bush honored young engineers and scientists in a White House ceremony earlier today. Those present, were recipients of the 2001 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Additional information may be found at www.whitehouse.gov
Climate researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cited several consecutive months of abnormally warm ocean temperatures in the mid-Pacific Ocean, and heavy rainfall along South America's Pacific Coast-both signs that the El Nino global weather phenomenon is upon us. El Nino weather conditions tend to emerge about twice a decade, when a convergence of weather conditions prompt water temperatures to rise in the Pacific Ocean along the equator. The temperature changes trigger a meteorological domino effect, altering air and water currents over much of the globe. Additional information may be found at www.cnn.com
The Senate gave its approval this week to the construction of a permanent storage site for nuclear waste at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. For additional information, please see NSPE's submission below, or go to www.washingtonpost.com
Association News
ASME PARTICIPATES IN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HILL DAY
The Coalition for National Security Research (CNSR), of which ASME is a participant, sponsored "Department of Defense (DOD) Hill Day" on July 10. The purpose of the event was to inform Members of Congress and their staff about the important role of DOD Science and Technology (S&T) programs. The Hill Day theme was "Scientific Discovery and Innovation for Defense Transformation" and included ten interactive exhibits featuring DOD-sponsored university research.
CNSR is a group of scientific, engineering, mathematical and behavioral societies, universities and industrial associations committed to a stronger defense science and technology base. For additional information on DOD S&T, visit the ASME Issues Book at www.asme.org/gric/ibook/ibook_dodbr.html or contact Kathryn Holmes in ASME's Washington Center at holmesk@asme.org
NSPE
The Senate voted to approve the administration's recommendation to develop a high level nuclear waste repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. The Senate approved the sitting resolution (S.J.Res 34) on a voice vote, but it first had to overcome a procedural maneuver designed by opponents of the projects to block the resolution from coming to a vote at all. Lead by Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Assistant Majority Leader harry Reid (D-NV), they argued that the resolution should not come to a vote because Daschle had not brought it to the floor. Under a tradition in the Senate, only the majority leader may being matters to the floor for consideration. Breaking the tradition would set a dangerous precedent on this key prerogative of the majority leader, they argued. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) introduced a motion to proceed, citing the authority of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, which outlines a procedure allowing ant senator to bring it to the floor. This put a number of Democratic senators in a political bind, because there is tremendous pressure on all senators to vote with their party leadership on procedural matters. The final vote on the motion was 60-39. NSPE supported passage of the resolution so that the project could move on to the licensing phase.
Senator Max Baucus, Chair of the Finance Committee, introduced legislation (S. 2678) designed to alter the way money is credited to the Highway Trust Fund. The measure would not increase any taxes, but would increase money flowing into the trust fund and make changes in the way federal revenue is credited to it. The Maximum Economic Growth for America Through the Highway Trust Fund (MEGA Trust) would ensure that taxes paid on gasohol are fully credited to the Highway Account of the trust fund. When gasohol is taxes, the Mass Transit Account receives its full share of revenues, as if the fuel were gasoline. But 2.5 cents of the tax per gallon that is imposed on gasohol if credited to the General Fund, not to the Highway Account. The bill would ensure that those 2.5 cents goes to the Highway Account. The bill would also ensure that the highway system does not bear the cost of our national policy to advance the use of gasohol. It would credit the Highway and Mass Transit Accounts with interest on its unspent balance. In addition, it would require the creation of a commission to study the trust fund and alternative methods of generating revenues. Although the administration has not taken a position on the bill, it reflects similar concerns expressed by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. NSPE believes that all funds generated should be deposited in the trust fund and used solely for transportation purposes.
Legislation to authorize $20 billion over five years for the clean water state revolving fund (SRF), which helps finance wastewater treatment plants and programs to clean up polluted waters, should be scheduled for a vote in the House, Democratic leaders said in a letter to Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX). The letter accused the House leadership of bottling up the Water Quality Financing Act (H.R. 3930) and other bills because they would require that locally prevailing wages be paid on construction projects that receive federal funds. NSPE supports the passage of H.R. 3930. The House approved legislation (H.R. 3130) supported by NSPE, that would authorize almost $390 million over five years to help expand the number of students majoring in science, math, engineering and technology. The funds would go to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish new programs or enhance existing ones aimed at improving undergraduate math and science education. Under the bill, NSF would provide grants that would administered on the condition that the recipient increase the number of students graduating with a math or science-related degree without reducing quality. Grants would also be available to colleges and universities to expand undergraduate programs, improve faculty teaching skills and to purchase new research equipment.
The House Appropriations Committee approved an $18.5 billion FY03 spending bill for Treasury, Postal Service & General Government appropriations, including a 4.1 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees next year. The bill would provide civilian employees with the same percentage increase as military service members. The Bush administration had proposed a 2.6 percent raise for civilian workers. Nearly a quarter of the funds in the measure -$4.2 billion - will go to beef up homeland security, including $439.3 million to modernize Customs Service information systems that considered critical for border security. The committee rejected a proposal offered by Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) to remove a requirement established by OMB that agencies put 15 percent of their jobs up for competition with the private sector. The measure failed by a vote of 26-30. Moran said he may seek a house floor vote on a proposal intended to prevent agencies from contracting out work to meet ìarbitrary' Bush administration quotas. NSPE consistently opposes efforts to restrict contracting out.