News

Chairwomen Johnson and Stevens Congratulate Dr. Arati Prabhakar on Her Nomination to Serve as OSTP Director

— Today, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Arati Prabhakar to serve as the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and, once confirmed, as the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. Dr. Prabhakar previously served as the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). “We are delighted to congratulate Dr. Arati Prabhakar on her nomination f…  Continue Reading

Chairwoman Johnson Joins DOE Secretary Granholm to Congratulate Lennox International on First Next-Generation Heat Pump

(Dallas, TX) — Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) joined Department of Energy Secretary Granholm for the announcement that American heat pump manufacturer Lennox International became the first manufacturer to make a next-generation heat pump that has passed laboratory performance testing for the Department of Energy’s Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge. These heat pumps will heat homes better and more efficiently than current technologies. “As Chairwoman …  Continue Reading

Science Committee Members’ Statement on Release of Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia GAO Report

– Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia. The report was originally requested in April 2020 by 11 Members of Congress including Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK), Environment Subcommittee Chair Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL), Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL), and Congressman Michael Waltz (R-FL). In the report, GAO…  Continue Reading

Federal investments in science are needed to reduce wildfire

It used to be that October marked the end of wildfire season, and the most destructive fires occurred in or around forested areas. But increasingly, more Americans experience the impacts of wildfires year-round.  In 2021, nearly 50,000 wildfires were reported, which burned over  seven million acres of land. And as we saw with the Marshall fire in Boulder County, sometimes the most devastating fires can happen in suburban areas in the dead of winter. As members of Congress representin…  Continue Reading

A federal coal ash strategy: putting health and safety first

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would crack down to protect public health and the environment from coal ash contamination. EPA will ramp up enforcement of its rules to prohibit companies from dumping coal ash into unlined storage pits, and to require those companies to speed up their efforts to close down the existing pits that have been shown to leak. As the Chairwoman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I want to see our federal age…  Continue Reading

Mapping a Strong Future for Ocean Science and Technology