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NCSE Testifies Before Congress in Support of Increased Funding for Environmental R&D In April 2003, the National Council for Science and the Environment provided congressional testimony to four House and Senate subcommittees in support of increased federal funding for environmental research and education.   Testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies, NCSE Senior Scientist Craig Schiffries said, "Federal investments in R&D and science education are essential to the future well-being and prosperity of the nation… and environmental R&D is a critical component of the nation's R&D portfolio."  Federal funding for environmental R&D has grown at approximately one-third the rate of total R&D during the past two years.    National Science Foundation.  The National Council for Science and the Environment urged Congress to appropriate the funds necessary to implement the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002, which is designed to double the NSF's budget in five years.       NCSE encouraged Congress to raise the NSF budget to the authorized level of $6.39 billion in FY 2004.  The President's FY 2004 budget request would increase funding for NSF by 3.2 percent to $5.5 billion.  It falls far short of the $6.39 billion budget and 15 percent increase authorized in the NSF doubling act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President less than six months ago.   Within the context of doubling the overall NSF budget, NCSE encouraged Congress to phase in an additional $1 billion per year for NSF environmental research, assessment, and education over five years, as called for in the National Science Board report, Environmental Science and Engineering for the 21st Century: The Role of the National Science Foundation.   Although the FY 2004 budget request would increase NSF's total budget by 3.2 percent, several key programs that provide funding for environmental research would decline under the FY 2004 budget request (see March 2003 issue of the Science, Environment and Policy Report for an analysis of the FY 2004 NSF budget request). NCSE emphasized the need for increased funding for NSF's Priority Area on Biocomplexity and the Environment, which would continue two special competitions in ecology of infectious diseases and microbial genome sequencing, which addresses microorganisms of importance to agriculture, food, forestry, and water quality, or as potential bioterrorism threats.  In addition, NCSE recommended full funding for two large projects—the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and EarthScope—which would create unprecedented opportunities for environmental research.   EPA STAR Fellowships.  NCSE called upon Congress to restore full funding of at least $9.8 for the EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellowship program in FY 2004.  The FY 2004 budget request for EPA would cut funding for the STAR fellowship program by 50 percent, from $9.8 million in the FY 2003 enacted appropriations bill to $4.9 million in the FY 2004 budget request.  STAR is the only federally supported fellowship program specifically aimed at graduate students in the environmental sciences and policy areas.   In FY 2003, the EPA budget request would have eliminated all funding for new STAR fellowships but Congress restored full funding for the program in the appropriations process.  The proposed elimination of the STAR fellowship in the President's FY 2003 budget request led to the suspension of new fellowships beginning in February 2002, despite the fact that over 1,400 applications had already been received and reviewed for 100 new fellowships. An appropriation of more than $9.8 million is needed in FY 2004 to redress the impact of the cancellation of the STAR fellowship competition last year.  Learn what you can do to help restore funding for EPA STAR fellowships. U.S. Geological Survey.  In testimony to both the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, NCSE urged Congress to appropriate $959.7 million for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in FY 2004, an increase of 4.4 percent over the FY 2003 enacted level of $919.3 million.  The President's FY 2004 budget request would cut funding for the USGS by 2.6 percent, with decreases in nearly every line item in the budget relative to the FY 2003 enacted level. According to NCSE testimony by Craig Schiffries and Peter Saundry, "Our national interests will be served if Congress provides adequate resources for the USGS to fulfill its mission, including its critical role in homeland security.  NCSE supports increased federal investment in USGS programs that underpin responsible natural resource stewardship, improve resilience to natural and human-induced hazards, and contribute to the long-term health, security, and prosperity of the nation."   Homeland Security and Environmental R&D.  NCSE encouraged Congress to explore the role of environmental R&D in homeland security and counterterrorism and to recommend actions that would improve the nation's capacity in this area.  Environmental scientists conduct interdisciplinary research on the fate, transport, and clean-up of radionuclides and toxins in air, water, and land.  They are well-positioned to contribute to homeland defense.  The USGS has tremendous strength in areas that are central to homeland security, such as protecting water resources and producing digital maps that are needed for assessing terrorist threats and responding to terrorist attacks.   The complete text of NCSE's recent testimony to four congressional subcommittees is available on NCSE's Science Policy webpage.

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