AAAS Policy Alert --January 5, 2012

IN THIS ISSUE

BUDGET NEWS

Appropriations Update: Analysis Shows Mixed Results for Federal R&D Support. AAAS analysis of the FY 2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2055), signed into law by the President on December 23, shows widely varied impacts on R&D investment, with some departments, agencies, and programs seeing moderate to substantial cuts, and others seeing moderate to substantial increases.

Overall, federal R&D investment in FY 2012 (including funding contained in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012, or the "minibus," passed in November) stands at $142 billion, a decrease of $1.8 billion or 1.3% below FY 2011 levels and $7.4 billion or 5% below the President's request. The Department of Defense saw the largest portion of these cuts, with DOD R&D (PDF file) down $2.5 billion from FY 2011. These defense cuts were largely driven by reductions in more advanced development and support activities, as basic and applied research at DOD actually saw a 6.5% increase over FY 2011 levels. Defense-related spending at the Department of Energy (PDF file) also received an increase, up $322 million or 8.1% over FY 2011.

By contrast, non-defense R&D (PDF file) spending essentially held steady overall compared to FY 2011 levels, although again far below the Administration's request. The total National Institutes of Health (PDF file) research budget was essentially unchanged at $30.2 billion. In total dollars, the largest non-defense gains were at DOE (PDF file), in the Office of Science ($209 million or 4.9% above FY 2011) and in Energy Programs ($198 million or 10.5% above FY 2011). Elsewhere, Interior (PDF file) and EPA (PDF file) also saw significant relative gains in research funding.

Additional data and analysis for agencies covered in the FY2012 spending bill are available at the AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Program Website.

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

NIH's Translational Sciences Center is Official. With the signing of the FY 2012 spending bill, President Obama approved funding for the new National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). An NIH press release with further details can be found here. NCATS has a budget of $575 million in its inaugural year. Thomas Insel, head of the National Institute of Mental Health, will serve as acting director of the new center, and Kathy Hudson, NIH's deputy director for science, outreach and policy, will serve as acting deputy director.
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OSTP Extends Deadline for Comments on Public Access to Scientific Publications. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has extended, from Jan. 2 to Jan. 12, the deadline for public comments concerning "recommendations on approaches for ensuring long-term stewardship and broad public access to the peer-reviewed scholarly publications that result from federally funded scientific research." Details are found here.

DOE Given Some Responsibilities for PCAST. Executive Order 13596, signed by President Obama on December 19 and available here (PDF file), includes amendments to a previous executive order regarding the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The amendments read: "The Department of Energy shall provide such funding and administrative and technical support as the PCAST may require"; and "Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act [...] (FACA), may apply to the PCAST, any functions of the President under the FACA, except that of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary of Energy..." Traditionally, OSTP has supported PCAST, but its 2012 budget is significantly reduced from 2011, as reported in the 11/23/11 Policy Alert.

National Science Board Seeks Comments on Data Policies Report. The National Science Board is seeking comments on Digital Research Data Sharing and Management (PDF file), a report from its Task Force on Data Policies. The task force was charged with refinement of NSF data policies to address key challenges and outline possible options to more effectively use digital research data to meet the mission of NSF. The recommendations are organized into four areas: commitment to sharing; reproducibility; education, training, and workforce development; and longevity and sustainability. Comments are due by close of business January 10.

NSF Awards Major Contract for Antarctic Logistics to Lockheed Martin. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a multi-year contract to Lockheed Martin for logistical support of the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). Under the award, Lockheed Martin will provide logistical support for research at McMurdo Station, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and Palmer Station, as well as for field research on the continent and oceanographic research in the Southern Ocean. Lockheed's contract starts April 1, 2012, and runs for 4.5 years; it may be extended through 2025. The contract is estimated to be worth up to $2 billion with all options exercised. More details are available here.

EPA Releases Historic Mercury and Air Toxic Standards. The Environmental Protection Agency recently released its Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (PDF file) to reduce toxic emissions, such as heavy metals and acid gases, from coal- and oil-fired power plants larger than 25 Megawatts. According to an EPA fact sheet (PDF file), power plants are the largest producer of mercury and acid gas pollution, and the new standards will reduce mercury emissions by 90%, have annual costs of $9.6 billion, and will provide $37-90 billion in health benefits in 2016. This rule, which stems from the 1990 Clean Air Act mandating that the EPA regulate toxic air emissions, was shaped by over 900,000 public comments and is projected to affect 1,400 plants.

ELSEWHERE

Courts Issue Rulings on Historians' Research Notes. The British government, with backing from the U.S. Justice Department, sought to compel a U.S. federal court judge to order Boston College to turn over oral history records from research on the violence in Belfast in the late 1960s (as reported in the 12/21/11 Policy Alert). On December 29, the judge ruled that BC must turn over materials to the Justice Department related to Dolours Price, who has admitted involvement in crimes committed during the Belfast violence. However, a day after the judge's ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a stay of the ruling until it could consider the matter. Although Boston College did not appeal the ruling, two historians who conducted many of the interviews with Price requested it. The case has generated concern among scholars that a decision against BC would damage the ability of researchers to secure data from persons involved in criminal acts (see here for one such opinion).

AAU Develops Booklets Illustrating Serious Purposes of "Funny-Sounding" Research Grants. To counter criticisms of research grants on the basis of their titles, the Association of American Universities (AAU) is producing a series of booklets under the title "Scientific Enquirer," which take examples of "funny-sounding" research and describe how they actually focus on very serious issues. The latest issue, published in July 2011, highlights such federally-funded grants as "Robot Demonstrates Towel-Folding Abilities," which is intended to improve the quality of life for the sick and elderly; and "Researching Why Boys Like Trucks," a study intended to improve understanding of autism.

EU Court Rules That Foreign Airlines Must Comply With EU Greenhouse Gas Law. The European Union (EU) Court of Justice recently ruled (PDF file) that, beginning January 1, 2012, U.S. and other international airlines must comply with an EU law that limits the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by planes landing or taking off in the EU. Under a cap-and-trade system, airlines will need to purchase emission allowances, regardless of the flight's origin. According to a Chemical and Engineering News article (subscription required for access), opponents to this rule contended that it violated a 1994 aviation treaty allowing each country jurisdiction over its own airspace - and the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill in October 2011 that would make it illegal for U.S. carriers to participate in this cap-and-trade system. Airlines for America, a trade group formerly named the Air Transport Association of America, said its members "will comply [with the EU court ruling] under protest." Environmental groups have generally supported the ruling.

Archived issues of AAAS Policy Alert can be found at http://www.aaas.org/spp/policyalert .

Publisher: Alan I. Leshner
Editor: Steve Nelson
Contributors: Joanne Carney, Ed Derrick, Mark Frankel, Erin Heath, Matt Hourihan, Earl Lane, Anne Poduska, Deborah Runkle, Gretchen Seiler, Ric Weibl

NOTE: The AAAS Policy Alert is a newsletter provided to AAAS Members to inform them of developments in science and technology policy that may be of interest. Information in the Policy Alert is gathered from published news reports, unpublished documents, and personal communications. Although the information contained in this newsletter is regarded as reliable, it is provided only for the convenience and private use of our members. Comments and suggestions regarding the Policy Alert are welcome. Please write to alert@aaas.org.


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