Committee Leaders Introduce Legislation to Preserve Apollo 11 Moon Landing Sites
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) introduced H.R. 3766, the "One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act" with Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK), Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics' Chairwoman Kendra Horn and Subcommittee Ranking Member Brian Babin (D-TX). This bill would require that all licenses issued by the U.S. government for space operations have requirements concerning preservation of the Apollo landing sites. The bill also contains a sense … Continue Reading
July 12, 2019Chairwoman Johnson Seeks Information on Implementation of FACA Executive Order
(Washington, DC) - Following President Trump's July 14, 2019, Executive Order on Evaluating and Improving the Utility of Federal Advisory Committees, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent letters to the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Continue Reading
July 11, 2019Chairwoman Johnson’s Statement on Stalled White House Climate Panel
(Washington, DC) - According to recent media reports, the proposed White House panel within the National Security Council (NSC) that would conduct a review of climate science has been indefinitely delayed. In February 2019, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee, along with the Chairmen of the Armed Services, Energy & Commerce, and Natural Resources Committees wrote to President Trump to express concerns about the proposed panel. … Continue Reading
July 11, 2019Chairwomen Johnson and Horn React to the Reassignment of NASA’s Gerstenmaier and Hill
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) leadership reassigned Mr. William H. Gerstenmaier from his post as Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. He will now serve as special assistant to NASA's Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Mr. William Hill, who served with Gerstenmaier as Deputy Associate Administrator of HEO, was also reassigned to now serve as a special advisor to NASA's Associate … Continue Reading
June 26, 2019Committee Chairs Again Request Information from EPA on Decision to Halt Post-Hurricane Harvey Air Pollution Monitoring
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Subcommittee on Environment Chair Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), and Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight Chairwoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) sent a third letter to Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler requesting all pertinent documents and correspondence in relation to the decision making process that prevented the NASA Atmospheric Tomography Mission from participating in the post-hurricane response … Continue Reading
June 19, 2019Chairwoman Johnson’s Statement on Clean Power Plan Replacement Rule
(Washington, DC) - Earlier today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final text of the Affordable Clean Energy Rule (ACE), which serves as a replacement of the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan. This rule establishes new emission guidelines for states as they develop plans to limit and address greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired electric generating units (EGU). Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. "The Trump … Continue Reading
June 19, 2019Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Request Federal Studies of Frequency Spectrum Proposed for 5G Communications
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine requesting all studies and analyses conducted by NOAA and NASA regarding the impacts of the FCC's proposed 5G transmissions in the 24 GHz band and the adjacent 23.8 GHz band; a timeline of events; and all documents and communications pertinent to the analyses and recommendations on 5G … Continue Reading
June 11, 2019Chairwoman Johnson and Rep. González-Colón Introduce the Vera Rubin Survey Telescope Designation Act
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) introduced H.R. 3196, the "Vera Rubin Survey Telescope Designation Act." H.R. 3196 would designate the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a National Science Foundation and Department of Energy funded telescope that is currently under construction on a mountaintop site in northern Chile, as the "Vera Rubin Survey Telescope." Dr. Vera Rubin, a renowned … Continue Reading
June 07, 2019Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chair Horn Comments on Opening the ISS to Commercial Opportunities
(Washington, DC) - Earlier today, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it will open the International Space Station (ISS) for commercial business and private astronaut missions with the goal of increasing the supply and demand of a low Earth orbit economy. This includes opportunities for commercial activities to be conducted on the ISS, the use of an ISS port for commercial module attachment, and partnership with industry to develop free-flying commercial … Continue Reading
June 05, 2019Committee Members Celebrate House Passage of Ocean Acidification Legislation
(Washington, DC) - This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1237, the "COAST Research Act of 2019"; H.R. 1716, the "Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2019"; H.R. 1921, the "Ocean Acidification Innovation Act of 2019"; and H.R. 988, the "NEAR Act of 2019." These four bills address ocean acidification, the gradual decrease in oceanic pH due primarily to the absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide by seawater, by reauthorizing and updating the Federal Ocean … Continue Reading
May 28, 2019Chairwoman Johnson Supports Sustained Funding of EPA’s Children’s Health Research
(Washington, DC) - Since 1997, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grants program and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), housed within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have co-funded a number of Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers across the United States. These programs are now in jeopardy and are beginning to shutter, as EPA has not taken or solicited applications for their … Continue Reading
May 16, 2019Chairwoman Johnson Requests Recovery of Scott Pruitt’s Unethical Travel Costs
(Washington, DC) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report on former Administrator Scott Pruitt's travel costs, wrapping up one of over a dozen federal investigations of the former Administrator's tenure. The Inspector General (IG) report found that former Administrator Pruitt accrued $123,942 in improper first- and business-class travel accommodations. Furthermore, 16 of the 40 trips analyzed in the report included travel to or stops … Continue Reading
May 15, 2019Chairwoman Johnson Urges EPA Administrator Wheeler to Reinstate CASAC Review Panel
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging him to reinstate the Particulate Matter (PM) review panel of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). Last October, Administrator Wheeler disbanded the Particulate Matter panel, which included two dozen researchers across relevant scientific disciplines assembled to inform air pollution standards. Instead, CASAC itself - a … Continue Reading
May 15, 2019Chairwomen Johnson and Horn Question Funding Plan for NASA’s Accelerated Moon Landing Program
(Washington, DC) - In late March, Vice President Mike Pence announced a new presidential directive to NASA to return humans to the surface of the moon by 2024, accelerating the mission timeline by 4 years. In order to fund the acceleration of this mission, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released an amendment to the President's FY 2020 NASA budget proposal requesting that Congress appropriate an additional $1.6 billion for the first year of this program, now named Artemis. … Continue Reading
May 13, 2019Chairwoman Johnson and Subcommittee Chairwoman Stevens’ Statement on U.S. Absence from Amending the Basel Convention
(Washington, DC) - Last week, governments of 187 countries agreed to add plastic waste to the Basel Convention, a treaty created in order to regulate the transfer of hazardous materials from one country to another in an effort to protect human health and the environment from the effects of hazardous wastes. Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), made the following statement. "We are disappointed but … Continue Reading
May 07, 2019Chairwoman Johnson’s Statement on IPBES Biodiversity and Ecosystems Assessment
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released a summary for policymakers of the most comprehensive global assessment on biodiversity and ecosystems ever completed. The full report, which is expected to be published later this year, provides a comprehensive picture of the connection between economic development and its impact on nature. Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. … Continue Reading
May 07, 2019Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas Introduce STEM Opportunities Act
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) together introduced H.R. 2528, the STEM Opportunities Act. This legislation requires more comprehensive demographic data collection on the recipients of federal research awards and on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty at U.S. universities; the development of consistent federal policies, such as no-cost award extensions, for recipients of federal research … Continue Reading
April 30, 2019Subcommittee Chairwoman Haley Stevens Introduces American Manufacturing Leadership Act
(Washington, DC) - Today, Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI), along with Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA), and Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), introduced H.R. 2397, the American Manufacturing Leadership Act (AMLA). This legislation strengthens our nation's largest investment in advanced manufacturing - the Manufacturing USA Program. Manufacturing USA has made great strides in … Continue Reading
April 24, 2019Chairwoman Johnson's Statement on 20th ALA “State of the Air” Report
(Washington, DC) - Today, the American Lung Association (ALA) released their annual "State of the Air" report. For the past 20 years, the ALA has analyzed data from official air quality monitors to compile this report. Top-line findings: More than 4 in 10 people in the United States - more than 141.1 million people - lived in counties with unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution, an increase since last year's report. Unhealthy spikes in particle pollution are becoming … Continue Reading
April 22, 2019Chairwoman Johnson Statement on Earth Day
(Washington, DC) - Every year on April 22, communities around the world celebrate Earth Day, a day dedicated to bringing attention to the health and protection of the environment. Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement. "On Earth Day we not only celebrate the magnificence and beauty of our planet, but we also recognize a day of activism. Every Earth Day is a rallying call for increased environmental protections. "Now that we are experiencing the ravages of … Continue Reading